THE    MYSTIC 


AND 


OTHER    POEMS, 


BY 


PHILIP     JAMES     BAILEY, 

AUTHOR  OF 


BOSTON: 
TICKNOR  AND  FIELDS 


M  DCCC  LVI. 


AUTHOR'S    EDITION 


CAMBRIDGE  : 

STEREOTYPED   AND  PRINTED  BY  METCALF  AND    COMPANY. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

5 


THE  MYSTIC    . 

A  SPIRITUAL  LEGEND 65 


A  FAIRY  TALE 


139 


48480* 


THE    MYSTIC 


THE   MYSTIC. 


WHO  holds  not  life  more  yearful  than  the  hours 

Since  first  into  this  world  he  wept  his  way, 

Erreth  much,  may  be.     Called  of  God,  man's  soul 

In  patriarchal  periods,  comet-like, 

Ranges  perchance  all  spheres  successive ;  and  in  each, 

With  nobler  powers  endowed  and  senses  new, 

Set  season  bideth.     So  with  him  it  seemed 

Of  whom  I  speak,  the  initiate  of  the  light, 

The  adopted  of  the  water  and  the  sun. 

TIME'S  sand- dry  streamlet  through  its  glassy  straits 
Flowed  ceaseless ;  and  he  lived  a  threefold  life 
Through  all  the  ages ;  yea,  seven  times  his  soul 
Commingling,  leavened  with  its  light  the  world. 
First  in  the  feasts  of  life,  and  the  sun's  son, 
Through  all  God's  homely  universe  he  roamed 


THE   MYSTIC. 

Lordly,  and  spake  to  earth  the  lore  of  stars, 
The  mother-tongue  of  Heaven  our  Fatherland. 
Born  to  instate  mankind  in  veriest  truths, 
By  nature  symbolled  in  gem,  bloom,  and  wing ; 
To  give  to  all  the  hope  of  bliss  reserved, 
And  ultimate  certainty  of  angelhood, 
He,  like  a  river  which  through  gullies,  rocks, 
And  deserts  runs  its  purifying  race 
To  Ocean's  thrice  regenerative  depths, 
Chose  thorough  all  probations  his  own  path, 
And  voluntary  trode  the  downward  way ; 
For  they  whose  eyen  by  spirit-fire  are  purged 
Move  ever  up  the  reascent  to  light, 
On  a  ccelestial  gradient,  paved  with  wings ; 
Disrobed  him  of  all  privilege,  and  alone 
Suffered  the  dignities  yearned  for  by  the  mass 
But  that  he  might  ennoble  servitude. 

Grounded  in  Nature's  sacred  cipher,  he 

The  myth-insculptured  language  of  the  light, 

In  templed  tome  and  lay  columnar  read, 

The  masque  of  gods.     But  not  all  spirits  can  bear, 

Untutored,  full  and  free  access  of  truth. 

The  sage,  who  ken  the  verities  of  soul, 

Whose  be  the  preview  clear  of  prophet-bard 


THE    MYSTIC.  .9 

To  ope  the  inner  spirit  by  outward  keys, 
Who  while  unclothing  still  can  screen  the  truth, 
That  inexpressive  wisdom  —  silence  known  — 
Unless  in  this  wise,  lip  them  not  aloud. 

Initiate  and  perfect  in  mysteries, 

He  graduated  triumphant.     Thrice  he  set 

His  foot  upon  the  mount  of  light  divine 

And  eyed  the  all  beneath  him.     First,  ere  earth, 

Like  the  libation  of  a  crowned  bowl, 

O'erspilled  the  depths  of  the  unknown  abyss, 

By  Nile  with  honey  flowing,  that  through  soil 

Promethean,  swift  as  eagle  pouncing,  drops 

Oceanwards,  sun-beloved  and  primal  land 

Of  magic  marvels ;  giant  head  of  earth 

First  looming  from  the  flinty  seed  of  fire 

And  pre-aeternal  darkness  — eldest  ally 

Of  lost  Atlantis,  lost  ere  Europe  crept 

From  Chaos'  lap,  —  long  tune  he  wandered ;  (him 

His  mother,  child  of  royal  priest,  conceived 

Dreaming  of  Gods  in  visions  of  the  night, 

Amid  consphaerate  harmonies,  and  awaked 

Never  until  she  clasped  her  dream-born ; )  bent 

To  snatch  from  labyrinthine  secrecies, 

Wherein  the  holy  mystics  taught  their  rites, 


10  THE   MYSTIC. 

Regenerant  Truth ;  from  hall  to  hall  pursue, 

As  though  from  sphere  to  sphere  the  winged  soul, 

Through  all  disguise  the  asternal  unity ; 

Through  all  terrestrial  ill  coelestial  good ; 

Through  triple  darkness  light ;  through  matter's  marble 

veil 

The  divine  spirit,  all  parent  of  the  sun, 
Queen  of  heaven's  azure  world-hive,  celled  with  stars. 

He  at  his  birth  the  starry  stamps  received, 
For  every  limb  held  commune  with  its  god, 
And  planetary  gifts  plenipotent ; 
The  moon  dispensed  him  riches,  and  the  sun 
Mind- wealth,  that  so  before  his  dazed  eyne 
The  splendid  spectrum  of  immortal  fame 
Perpetual  danced ;  soul-compulsory  power, 
The  god  of  psychopompous  function,  round 
Circling  the  sun  with  fourfold  force  ;  love's  star 
The  joys  that  come  with  beauteous  shapes  and  eyes 
Dewy  and  blue  ;  courage  the  god-star  red  ; 
Supremacy  and  justice  they  who  held 
Successive,  if  usurped  sway,  o'er  the  skies. 

Around  him  lay  the  great  concerted  whole ; 
The  moaning  winds  and  cadent  waters,  fire 


THE   MYSTIC.  11 

Aspirant,  sea  bass-toned  and  reboant  earth ; 
For  only  man's  crude  ear  of  discord  dreams, 
Jarring  the  orbed  harmonies  of  heaven. 
And  for  the  cause  that  soon  as  born  his  lips 
Dropped  music,  like  to  the  dew-bright  beads  of  honey 
From  fleshy  flowerets  pendent,  nectarous,  he 
The  over-dominant  movement  of  all  life 
Knew,  and  elicited  its  vital  moods. 

The  soul  of  every  animal,  from  the  ox, 

Thunder  begotten,  to  the  solar  wolf — 

As  he  re-rose  from  Hades,  —  god  of  death, 

Thenceforward  to  man  hallowed  —  to  destroy 

The  spirit  of  all  ill ;  and  scarab,  type 

Of  the  great  world-artificer ;  from  the  lord 

Of  golden  flocks,  lamb-headed,  to  the  goat 

Sacred  to  sin  in  all  rites,  he,  in  turn, 

Bespake,  and  each  to  him  the  awful  word 

Passed,  that  makes  ope  the  thousand  courts  of  life ; 

The  universal  and  asternal  sign, 

Itself  life,  death  and  immortality, 

Which  silenceth  yet  answereth  all  demands, 

And  bindeth  evil  with  an  endless  chain. 

Armed  and  impowered  therewith,  no  foe  he  fears 

Who  seeks  salvation  in  the  heights  of  heaven. 


12  THE   MYSTIC. 

Asp-crowned,  gold  shod  (thus  treat  the  abhorred  gold 
Of  false  esteem),  his  breast  bedight  with  gems, — 
Home  of  all  virtues  and  the  embrace  of  Truth,  — 
He  prayed,  he  prophesied,  divined,  and  judged. 

In  granite  graven,  and  on  porphyry  hall 

And  ceiling,  with  imperishable  touch, 

He  wrought  the  rise  of  night,  and  chaos'  growth, 

The  gross  alluvium  of  time's  turbid  stream,  — 

And  birth  of  Love,  that  venerable  babe, 

The  recreator  he  of  deathless  life ; 

Wrought  in  that  spirit  awe-bound,  wherewith,  of  old, 

The  workman  chiselled  some  cherubic  shape, 

Nor  knew  but  that  the  God  who  doth  create 

And  animate  the  whole  —  from  whom  the  whole, 

Like  essenced,  emanateth  —  might  appear 

In  manifestive  brightness,  and  array 

His  Being  in  the  form  the  holy  artist  framed. 

Close  dogged  by  evil  he  the  dateless  hills, 
Mountains  of  gems,  of  gold,  of  silver  gained, 
Within  whose  wombs  he  wonned ;  but  chased  in  vain  ; 
For  the  more  vanquished  he,  more  power  was  his. 
Him,  naked  ghosts  of  maddening  beauty,  lamped 
By  green  and  glistering  gryphons'  lidless  eyes, 


THE    MYSTIC.  13 

Led  to  alchemic  vaults,  where  sat  some  seer 
Great  jewels  minting,  and  from  the  refuse  gold, 
That  naught  be  wasted,  rounding  royal  crowns. 
The  costliest  of  all  treasures,  knowledge  how 
Like  treasures  to  produce,  he  gathered  there, 
Nor  cumbered  him  with  perishable  proofs. 
Though  by  this  tempted,  and  that  warned,  he  took 
The  path  of  light,  instinctive,  and  was  saved. 
For  having  fought  his  way  through  flood  and  flame, 
Helped  by  good  daemons,  hindered  by  the  bad, 
And  closed  the  gates  of  thunder  on  the  gods 
Where  they  in  their  marmoreal  heaven  abode, 
Dark  as  the  hourless  mansions  of  the  dead, 
And  tested  all  things ;  in  the  coffined  core 
Of  the  heaven-wedding  pyramid,  at  last 
He  fainted  hi  perfection ;  and  discerned 
How  sweet  was  truth,  for  death  in  truth  was  life. 

In  that  blest  death  the  gods  divided  him, 
And  the  stars  claimed  the  portions  erst  their  own ; 
They  so  adored  him.     World-beloved  was  he. 
The  sun  his  head ;  the  starry  souls  his  eyes  ; 
His  locks  redundant  asked  the  watery  powers ; 
The  living  spirit  his  temples  ;  his  strong  hand 
The  lord  of  fate  ;  his  bent  knee  worshipful 


12  THE    MYSTIC. 

Asp-crowned,  gold  shod  (thus  treat  the  abhorred  gold 
Of  false  esteem),  his  breast  bedight  with  gems, — 
Home  of  all  virtues  and  the  embrace  of  Truth,  — 
He  prayed,  he  prophesied,  divined,  and  judged. 

In  granite  graven,  and  on  porphyry  hall 

And  ceiling,  with  imperishable  touch, 

He  wrought  the  rise  of  night,  and  chaos'  growth, 

The  gross  alluvium  of  time's  turbid  stream,  — 

And  birth  of  Love,  that  venerable  babe, 

The  recreator  he  of  deathless  life ; 

Wrought  in  that  spirit  awe-bound,  wherewith,  of  old, 

The  workman  chiselled  some  cherubic  shape, 

Nor  knew  but  that  the  God  who  doth  create 

And  animate  the  whole  —  from  whom  the  whole, 

Like  essenced,  emanateth  —  might  appear 

In  manifestive  brightness,  and  array 

His  Being  in  the  form  the  holy  artist  framed. 

Close  dogged  by  evil  he  the  dateless  hills, 
Mountains  of  gems,  of  gold,  of  silver  gained, 
Within  whose  wombs  he  wonned ;  but  chased  in  vain  ; 
For  the  more  vanquished  he,  more  power  was  his. 
Him,  naked  ghosts  of  maddening  beauty,  lamped 
By  green  and  glistering  gryphons'  lidless  eyes, 


THE    MYSTIC.  13 

Led  to  alchemic  vaults,  where  sat  some  seer 
Great  jewels  minting,  and  from  the  refuse  gold, 
That  naught  be  wasted,  rounding  royal  crowns. 
The  costliest  of  all  treasures,  knowledge  how 
Like  treasures  to  produce,  he  gathered  there, 
Nor  cumbered  him  with  perishable  proofs. 
Though  by  this  tempted,  and  that  warned,  he  took 
The  path  of  light,  instinctive,  and  was  saved. 
For  having  fought  his  way  through  flood  and  flame, 
Helped  by  good  daemons,  hindered  by  the  bad, 
And  closed  the  gates  of  thunder  on  the  gods 
Where  they  in  their  marmoreal  heaven  abode, 
Dark  as  the  hourless  mansions  of  the  dead, 
And  tested  all  things ;  in  the  coffined  core 
Of  the  heaven- wedding  pyramid,  at  last 
He  fainted  in  perfection ;  and  discerned 
How  sweet  was  truth,  for  death  in  truth  was  life. 

In  that  blest  death  the  gods  divided  him, 
And  the  stars  claimed  the  portions  erst  their  own ; 
They  so  adored  him.     World-beloved  was  he. 
The  sun  his  head ;  the  starry  souls  his  eyes ; 
His  locks  redundant  asked  the  watery  powers  ; 
The  living  spirit  his  temples  ;  his  strong  hand 
The  lord  of  fate  ;  his  bent  knee  worshipful 


16  THE   MYSTIC. 

(After  in  life,  the  mount  wherein  he  had  been 

Enstoned  he  recognized,  and  felt  it  throb 

Beneath  his  footsteps,  heartlike  'neath  a  hand.) 

A  thousand  years,  an  oak,  he  crowned  the  hill, 

And  navies  traced  to  him  their  ancestry  ; 

In  the  sea's  arms  a  million  suns  he  passed ; 

Among  the  insect  race  that  winged  the  air 

Or  crawl  the  dust,  the  like ;  among  the  birds 

That  skim  the  sky,  a  myriad ;  thrice  that  term 

Through  all  four-footed  tribes  of  nature,  fierce 

Or  bland ;  from  these,  through  various  grades  of  men, 

Of  divers  nations  the  o'er-topping  stems, 

To  the  high  peers  of  perfect  sanctity, 

Native  wherein,  at  length,  the  hundredth  time, 

By  pure  persistency  in  sacred  rites, 

And  stern  assimilations  of  the  soul 

To  fleshless  life,  even  as  the  holy  live, 

Through  seven  bright  spheres  successive,  he,  his  soul 

Lift  upwards,  like  a  mountain  by  the  main, 

That  laves  his  marble  feet  sea-deep,  and  high 

O'er  shore,  plain,  verdure,  cloud,  snow,  vapor,  bares 

To  the  chill  sky  his  reverent  brow ;  and  he 

This  our  initial  world  where  all  things  fixed 

Or  free  are  passed ;    the  re-existent  orb 

Skyey  wherein,  until  tune's  destined  doom, 


THE    MYSTIC.  17 

All  that  have  lived  mindful  of  sacrifice 
And  holy  rites  sleep  calm  ;  and,  as  he  passed, 
He  to  the  dimly  gleaming  shadows  taught 
A  prayer  would  ring  them  entrance  into  bliss, 
Like  to  the  magic  horn,  in  faerie  halls, 
Of  blast  resistless ;  thrice  blown,  every  gate 
Of  every  palace  opens  like  a  flower  : 
The  odorous  home  of  lightness,  coolness,  warmth, 
Change  pleasing  and  perpetual,  where  they  bide, 
Imbowered  in  all  delights  conceivable, 
Who,  perfected  by  God's  love  to  themselves, 
And  that  pure  love  to  all  His  love  requires, 
Upsoar  to  heaven,  immediate,  as  the  soul 
Bursts  from  its  bodily  chrysalis;  — the  mid- world 
Between  celestial  and  terrestrial  spheres, 
Where  first  the  denizens  of  each  commune, 
Without  or  veil  or  shadow,  toil  or  mask  ; 
There  giants  and  divinities  divide 
The  far-expanded  sphere,  and  now  in  peace, 
But  oftener  far  in  war  ;  the  birth-world  where 
The  souls  of  the  unhallowed,  of  all  creeds 
And  nations,  dwell ;  where  lower  lives,  too,  lost 
For  sins  of  man,  by  general  doom  of  fire, 
Or  flood,  or  sacrifice,  are  all  re-born ;  — 
The  mansion  of  the  penitent  blessed,  where  saints 
2 


18  THE   MYSTIC. 

Austere,  and  sons  of  the  Supreme,  self-ruled, 

Reside  in  infinite  freedom,  to  which  sphere 

A  silver  gate,  a  golden  to  the  last, 

Gives  access ;  the  abode  sublime  of  truth ; 

By  wisdom,  duty,  verity  only  gained, 

Gained  never  to  be  lost ;  for  there  is  God, 

Creator,  and  Preserver,  and  Destroyer ; 

Initial,  and  perfection  of  all  Being ; 

The  infinite  fulness  of  all  spirit ;  sum 

And  sun  of  all  the  souls  of  all  the  spheres, 

Wherein,  through  every  life  of  man  or  brute,  — 

In  origin,  not  end,  alike  divine,  — 

He  darts  his  raylets  vital  and  ceterne, 

He,  the  untempled  God,  above  man's  thought. 

For  lo !  time's  end,  when,  on  his  snowy  steed, 
The  great  Preserver,  blazing  like  some  star, 
That  with  dische veiled  infinites  of  light 
Between  the  sun's  breast  and  the  icy  arms 
Of  space  extremest  oscillates,  sudden  draws, 
From  out  its  sheathed  night,  his  gleaming  glaive, 
And  robs  the  age  of  life ;  then,  all  renewed, 
Peace,  innocence,  and  purity  shall  bind 
In  flowery  chains,  the  bonds  of  liberty, 
The  race  divine  of  man,  the  fruit  of  God ;  — 


THE   MYSTIC.  19 

And  the  whole  earth,  though  now  half-burning  sands 

Or  frost-white  wilds,  bloom  into  Paradise. 

And  after,  even  this  shall  cease  ;  the  spirit, 

Inured  to  meditate  alone  on  God, 

Pleasure  no  more  can  please,  finds  scant  delight 

In  fragrant  fields,  grows  discontent  with  heaven  ; 

Yea,  in  pure  wantonness  with  terror,  tears 

The  masque  material  from  Time's  phantom  face. 

All  Being  shall  then  be  reabsorbed  in  God, 

All  minor  deities  in  Him  shall  merge, 

As  water  vases,  broken  in  mid-sea, 

Unite  therewith  the  element  they  contained, 

And  add  their  calculable  drops  to  its 

Immensurable  abysses,  whence  were  cast, 

As  out  of  moulds,  the  mountains  of  the  world ; 

For  all  that  shows  not  God,  illusion  is. 

And  as  earth's  thousand  seas,  streams,  lakelets,  pools, 
Their  separate  image  of  the  star  of  noon 
Hold,  though  he  be  but  one,  so  every  soul 
Its  semblance  of  the  One  Divine  retains 
Which  all  illumines,  sweetens  all ;  and  his, 
Affied  to  God,  in  massive  ease  and  power 
Languescent,  well  might  wield  the  world  at  will 
Whose  whispered  mandates  awed  the  thunder  down. 


20  THE    MYSTIC. 

He,  lion-like  within  the  desert,  dwelled 

From  men  apart,  and  so,  intact  of  soul, 

In  heart  ascetic,  continent  in  thought, 

The  intelligible  luxuries  of  life 

Shunned ;  to  a  boundless  level  planed  his  soul ; 

Fasted  on  fruits ;  and  out  of  writhen  frond, 

Or  flowery  chalice,  quaffed  the  fountain  free. 

By  virtue  of  which  liberated  state, 

Lofty  and  passionless  as  date-palm's  bride, 

High  on  the  upmost  summits  of  his  soul, 

Wrought  of  the  elemental  light  of  heaven, 

And  pure  and  plastic  flame  that  soul  could  show, 

Whose  nature,  like  the  perfume  of  a  flower 

Enriched  with  aromatic  sun-dust,  charms 

All,  and  with  all  ingratiates  itself, 

Sat  dazzling  purity ;  for  loftiest  things, 

Snow-like,  are  purest.     As  in  mountain  morns 

Expectant  air  the  sun-birth,  so  his  soul 

Her  God  into  its  supra-natural  depths 

Accepted  brightly  and  sublimely.     Vowed 

To  mystic  visions  of  supernal  things ; 

Daily  endowed  with  spheres  and  astral  thrones, 

His,  by  pre-emptive  right,  throughout  all  time ; 

Immerged  in  his  own  essence,  clarified 


THE    MYSTIC.  21 

From  all  those  rude  propensities  which  rule 

Man's  heart,  a  tyrant  mob,  and,  venal,  sell 

All  virtues,  aye  the  crown  of  life  to  what 

Passion  soe'er  praepotent,  worst  deludes 

Or  deftliest  flatters,  he,  death-calm,  beheld, 

As  though  through  glass  of  some  far-sighting  tube, 

The  restful  future ;  and,  consummed  in  bliss, 

In  vital  and  sethereal  thought  abstract, 

The  depths  of  Deity  and  heights  of  heaven. 

Attached  to  things  divine  alone,  as  seal 
To  chart  affixed,  he  all  truth  taught  and  sought, 
Sweetly  retired.     As  Eden's  olive  groves, 
That,  in  the  luminous  mysteries  of  the  sun 
Perfectly  ripened,  were  withdrawn  to  heaven 
So  pure,  and  so  intact,  like  diamond  gas 
Exhaling  'neath  the  keen,  fire-hearted  lens, 
Lighter  than  light,  imponderable  power, 
His  spirit  soared,  unwavering,  up  the  skies. 
He  to  the  deities,  as  his  nearer  blood, 
Willed  all  his  grand  domains,  in  trust,  to  keep 
Holy  and  free ;  and  still,  to  bar  all  strife, 
His  poor  and  ignorant  kin,  the  kings  of  earth, 
He  piteously  remembered  ere  he  passed 
Through  deathland,  to  the  ultimate,  realm  of  light, 


22  THE   MYSTIC. 

And  shared  his  orts  among  them ;  they,  his  gates 
Quitting,  scarce  grumbled  their  ungrateful  thanks, 
Because  that,  like  the  setting  sun,  he  left 
A  world  of  gold  behind  him,  free  to  all. 

TIME'S  arid  streamlet  through  its  glassy  gorge 
Flowed  pauseless ;  and,  by  Sida's  crystal  flood, 
"Which,  as  with  sea  seven-tided,  bathes  the  base 
Of  the  high  mount  of  vision,  he  was  born 
Again,  to  teach,  to  all  the  nations,  life. 

Born  of  the  tree  blood-sapped,  which,  on  the  steep 
Of  knowledge,  thrice,  by  vital  wind,  impregned, 
Buds  forth  her  life,  the  mother  of  the  world, 
Upon  the  royal  rock  four-faced,  he  dwelled, 
The  tripod  mountain,  with  its  jewelled  feet 
Long  while ;  the  orient  side  of  silver  pure ; 
Beryl,  the  brow  which  overawes  the  sun, 
When,  abdicating  Heaven,  he  calls  the  stars 
To  attest  his  end  imperial ;  the  dead  north 
Of  glowing  gold,  the  south  of  ruby  paled. 

Up  shining  streams  and  over  odorous  lakes, 
In  golden  boat  or  silver,  pearly  oared, 
Dimpling  the  wave,  he  sped ;  or  dashing  high 


THE   MYSTIC.  23 

The  fragrant  foam ;  and  now  his  limbs  imbathed 

Amid  immortal  nymphs,  serenely  pure, 

Like  living  lilies  floating  on  the  tide, 

In  love  with  their  own  shadows,  as  they  lay 

Beneath  the  cooling  moon.     From  sacred  trees 

Ambrosial  fruit  and  gem-wrought  raiment,  tinct 

With  the  sun's  infinite  aureole,  he  culled ; 

And  walked  resplendent  with  his  meteor  eyes 

Thrice  round  the  dragon  king,  world-lifed,  who  saw 

The  first,  and  will  the  last  of  gods  surview ; 

So  vast  and  vile  a  monster,  heaven  and  earth 

With  thunderous  groans  and  lurid  blushes  hid 

Their  starry  heads,  when  God,  in  words  of  fire, 

Asked  them  his  generation,  —  Hell-begot, 

Hell-born,  they  said,  we  know  no  more  of  him. 

Yet  sought  he  not  illumination  thence, 

But  due  confession  of  divinity ; 

For,  in  the  radiance  of  a  frame  divine, 

In  natal  and  coelestial  light  he  stood. 

Though  pure  in  aspiration,  pure  as  is 
The  pearl-rose  halo  round  a  star,  so,  proof 
Of  the  divine  within  us  and  the  strain 
Of  the  celestial  heavenward,  yet  he  sinned, 
In  virtue  of  his  nature,  and  sought  .earth ; 


24  THE    MYSTIC. 

For  sin  is  nature ;  and  through  all  life's  gates, 
Like  to  the  perishing  flowery  arches  reared 
Before  some  fane,  he  willed  to  pass,  for  he 
The  ultimate  sanctity  and  asternal  joy 
Foreknew  that  they  led  up  to ;  and,  perchance, 
By  his  own  consciousness  of  final  bliss, 
He  might  the  hearts  of  millions  fortify. 

Now  the  destruction  and  re-birth  of  things 

He  saw,  and  preached,  and  warned  mankind  they  came ; 

By  water  first ;  the  gentlest  rain  distils 

In  the  beginning  like  small  dust,  until, 

Enlarging,  gradual,  every  drop  descends 

Huge  as  a  millstone,  and  all  life  is  drowned ; 

Then  rise  seven  suns,  successive,  and  at  once 

Inhabit  Heaven,  till  the  whole  orb  be  drained 

Of  ocean,  sea,  lake,  river,  moisture,  damp, 

Parched  to  a  powder ;  last  of  all,  a  wind 

Light  as  a  leaf's  breath  'gins  to  blow,  and  blows 

Stronger  and  stronger,  till  the  tempestuous  blast 

Uproots  the  mountains,  eddying  them  about 

Like  feathers  in  a  whirlpool ;  all  the  rocks, 

Disintegrate,  lie  loose  and  level  dust, 

And  the  vast  sphere  is  scattered  o'er  the  skies, 

Like  sand  o'er  an  arena.     Water  again 


THE   MYSTIC.  25 

Installs  the  regeneration  of  the  world, 

Condensing  some  few  atoms  which  the  wind 

Rounds  into  rain-drops ;  and,  cohering  thus, 

Drives  languidly  together,  mass  by  mass ; 

The  lighter  particles  rise,  and  air  become ; 

The  grosser  fall,  and  cause  the  element  earth ; 

This,  fire  solidifies,  till,  whole  at  length, 

The  fused  orb  rehabilitated  rolls 

As  theretofore  upon  its  coelar  path. 

Thus,  thrice  made  pure,  by  water,  fire,  and  wind, 

In  essence,  earth  spreads  wide  her  lap,  and  heaven 

(In  flowery  showers,  cropped  by  the  hand  of  gods, 

Fruits,  riches,  and  the  robes  of  truth)  descends ; 

"While  censer-clouds  condensed  of  sun-fired  fragrancies 

Perfect  the  sweet  lustration  of  all  life. 

In  saintly  destitution,  sacred  need, 

He,  light  of  time,  his  life-day  harmless  passed, 

Sparing  all  life  by  charity ;  and,  since 

All  soul-sin  seems  a  missing  of  the  mark 

Resultant  from  imperfect  force  or  aim, 

Exhorting  all  to  look  and  work  for  good, 

In  the  supreme  beneficence  of  God. 

For  evil  is  temporal  only,  nor  can  be 

In  the  divine  oeternal.     From  the  void, 


26  THE    MYSTIC. 

Along  with  bright  creation,  as  its  shade, 
It  rose,  and  back  to  vasty  void  returns. 

TIME'S  arid  runnel  through  its  glassy  gorge 
Glode  ceaseless  ;  and,  anon,  where  the  huge  stream, 
Son  of  the  sea,  bursts  through  the  skyey  gates, 
Born  of  an  angel  maid  and  heaven  descended, 
Who,  bathing  in  its  midst,  the  white-orbed  flower, 
Of  root  eternal  born,  eternal  bud, 
Upon  its  waters  floating,  tasted  and  ate ; 
Till,  her  within,  its  golden-dusted  stem 
Branched  crosswise  into  life,  and  fructified 
To  soul ;  the  flower-begotten  son  of  heaven, 
From  birth  immediate,  perfected  his  steps, 
Assuming  all  divinity ;  and  hailed 
Himself  the  incorporate  order  of  the  skies. 

Nursed  by  the  starry  sea  and  those  twin  lakes 
Named  eyes  of  heaven,  and  fed  on  the  bright  gems 
Dropped  from  dracontian  h'ps,  whose  virtue  gave 
Sole  sustenance  to  his  being,  and  whereby 
The  living  lines,  on  fiery  wivern's  back, 
The  secret  counsel  of  the  universe 
Once  read,  translated  all  things,  he  achieved 
At  one  enlightening  pang  and  blessed  his  woe. 


THE    MYSTIC.  27 

Reason  supreme  him  made  innately  wise, 
The  stars  prophetic  and  the  holy  moon, 
Interpreter  to  time  of  things  aeterne, 
Ruler  of  rites  and  sacred  festivals. 

And  the  invisible  heavens  the  giant  world 
Through  him  instructed ;  him,  0  star  of  earth ! 
Thou  saddest,  wisest,  eldest  of  all  lights ! 
The  formless  origin  of  things,  and  how, 
Proceeding  from  itself,  the  infinite 
Finite  becomes ;  returning  thitherward, 
The  finite  infinite,  whereby  the  parts, 
O'erleaping  the  interstitial  net  of  death, 
Regain  that  continuity  of  soul 
Which  ones  them  with  the  boundless  and  divine. 

Throned  upon  lion  hides  and  dragon  skins,  — 
Cloud-breathing  dragons  homed  in  heights  of  air, 
Amid  the  golden  land  his  mellower  years, 
Studious  of  immortality,  he  passed ;  — 
Now  by  the  moon-enclosing  mountain,  now 
Scaling  the  cloud-throne  where  the  immortal  fowl 
Of  mighty  fortune  wafts  from  his  jewelled  nest 
The  winds  of  all  the  world,  —  he  gave  the  youth 
Ubiquitous  dominion  'tween  his  wings ; 


28  THE    MYSTIC. 

And  bore  him  swift  to  the  cities  of  the  skies, 

Gleaming  aloft,  tranquil,  in  starry  bliss ;  — 

Now  where  the  sacred  soul-tree  scents  the  breeze, 

'Mid  marble  cities,  by  the  shore  of  pearl ; 

Or  where  the  fountain,  sprung  from  lightning  flash, 

The  fire-born  water,  flows,  in  whose  bright  depths 

He  consecrates  himself;  around  its  source 

The  true  immortals  dwell,  of  man  unseen. 

Where,  on  the  hill  of  dreams,  the  flower  of  sleep 

Flings  forth  its  silky  leaflets,  he  the  juice 

Drank  of  millennial  herb,  a  thousand  years 

All  blight  resisting,  which  to  age  brings  back 

Electric  youth,  the  glory,  this,  of  earth, 

And  king  of  flowers.     From  him  the  holy  learned 

Religion,  justice,  temperance,  wisdom,  faith, 

Outer  and  inner  knowledge,  endogenous  truth, 

The  five-fold  world  and  elemental  lore ; 

All  mysteries  hidden  and  imperfect,  all 

Public  and  perfect  secrets  of  the  world, 

Of  Heaven,  earth,  lightning,  mountains,  fire,  and  clouds, 

Water  and  wind,  and  when  the  end  draws  nigh. 

To  spirit  transcendent  of  inferior  spheres 

Nature  is  always  ominous ;  notes  of  birds 

Doomful.  and  animal  movements ;  sun-shot  gleams, 


THE    MYSTIC.  29 

And  noon-day  apparitions,  shades,  and  pools 
Wherein  the  eve-star  tricks  her  tresses  bright ; 
And  upward  arts  of  fire ;  presaging  all 
Immortal  destinations  that  so  man, 
In  likeness  of  divine  perfection  made, 
Happy  on  earth  but  happier  far  on  high, 
Might  reinstall  the  primal  state  of  heaven. 

Alms  gave  he,  as  an  alchemist,  whose  gold 
Flows  inexhaustless,  or  whose  pearly  draught 
The  potable  perpetuity  of  life 
Vouched  to  its  proud  possessor ;  till  at  last 
As  man,  the  errant  babe,  intent  on  death, 
In  orbital  aphelion  with  his  sire, 
Back  to  the  irresistible  bosom  of  love 
Wheels  his  precipitous  foot,  and  with  a  smile, 
Foreseeing  his  apotheosis  there, 
Bounds  to  embrace  the  beauty  infinite ; 
So  he,  divinely  rooted  in  the  world, 
And  lifting  into  life  his  facial  flower, 
Back  to  the  pre-eternals  called  of  God, 
Passed,  disappearing  in  the  essential  heavens. 

TIME'S  sand-dry  runnel  through  its  glassy  strait 
Flowed  checkless ;  and  the  immortal  seeker  now, 


30  THE   MYSTIC. 

The  son  of  seven  bright  parents,  orbs  divine 

In  precreative  fire  conjunctive  ranged, 

Upon  the  hallowed  ground  where  Phrat  still  pours 

His  Paradeisal  wavelets,  cave-born,  stood, 

Gray-bearded  from  his  birth ;  and  onward,  urged 

By  the  divine  affinities  of  truth, 

Which,  in  the  lowest  depth,  sees  but  a  step 

Back  to  the  pure  perfection  of  the  heavens, 

He  crept,  in  stifling  darkness,  through  a  cave 

High  vaulted,  yea  a  world  cave,  where,  as  in  Heaven, 

The  truth  first  glimmered  on  him  like  a  star  ; 

Showing  where  waited  him  a  white  winged  steed, 

That,  fed  on  fiery  adders,  slaked  his  throat 

From  burning  wells.     Him  mounting,  on  he  sped 

Through  lions,  wolves,  and  dragons,  men  of  might, 

Open  or  secret  enemies,  sands  of  fire 

And  storms  of  hail,  the  world's  contempt  or  hate, 

The  spells  of  wine  and  gold,  luxurious  love, 

Seductive  beldames  and  adulterous  ghouls, 

Vices  that  flesh  devour,  defile  the  dead, 

The  sun-fowl,  spirit  of  life-consuming  time, 

The  dsemons  that  in  mental  darkness  dwell, 

The  brazen  fort  of  royal  tyranny, 

With  sin-black  hills  engirthed  (circumferent  six, 

Central  the  seventh)  all-mastering,  though  half-spent ; 


THE   MYSTIC.  31 

Through  threatening  files  of  flamy  ghosts  and  fiends 

Created  from  primaeval  darknesses ; 

The  horrors  of  all  visionary  hells  ; 

Huge  spectral  daemons,  figurative  of  sins ; 

And  clueless  mazes  to  the  mouldy  abyss 

Where,  couched  on  rottenness,  and  guarded  sole 

By  pitfalls  brimmed  with  crawling,  weltering  worms, 

Lo !  the  white  monster  which  appalls  the  world  ; 

Death,  but  not  him.     O'er  moats  of  sanguine  slime, 

And  towers  where  glared  a  green  and  ghastly  light, 

And  battlemented  walls  of  human  bones, 

He  sprang  triumphant  on  his  shrieking  foe ; 

Smote  him,  and  from  his  heart  three  blood-drops  black  — 

Black  as  the  night  the  Son-God  passed  in  hell  — 

Wrung ;  thence  ascending  by  a  starry  stair, 

Each  step  a  bliss,  a  virtue,  he  emerged 

Soldier  of  God,  and  conqueror  of  all  fear, 

Therewith  to  purge  the  eye  of  wisest  man. 

Scaling  on  foot  the  mount  of  heavenly  fire, 
Where  throned  on  triple  columns  sate  the  sun, 
He,  in  the  glory  of  the  bridegroom,  stood, 
And  knelt  to  hear  the  luminaries  divine, 
The  first  created  witnesses  of  God, 
Who  in  His  bosom  holds  the  living  world 


32  THE    MYSTIC. 

As  shepherd  in  his  arms  star-spotted  fawn. 

From  the  moon's  hand  her  starry  stole  he  took, 

And  zonelet  studded  with  thrice  ten  beamy  rings, 

Shining  with  light  genetic,  either  side 

Broidered  with  signs,  though  breathing,  living  not. 

Indued,  bespake  him  then  the  Perfect  Light 

In  wisdom's  signal  silence,  and  unrolled 

Before  his  eyes  the  archives  of  the  heavens, 

The  original  deeds  of  God's  great  government, 

Star-writ,  the  golden-winged  tongue  of  gods, 

Time's  charter,  and  the  fire-bound  book  of  love, 

And  heaven's  all  trinal  lights.     There  too  he  viewed, 

Participator  of  God's  general  light, 

The  infinite  circlet  filled  of  Deity, 

The  world-wheel  through  the  which  he  had  winged  in 

soul 

Beyond  the  high  and  azure  plain  of  truth, 
To  alight  upon  the  peak  of  happiness  :  — 
There  converse  held  with  all  the  eloquent  orbs, 
Interpretative  stars,  and  counselling  gods, 
Who  thoughts  divine,  thoughts  earthly,  interchange. 

Sword,  sceptre,  key  were  given  him,  robe  of  white, 
And  ring  of  royalty,  wherewith  he  found 
Due  worship  of  the  golden-bearded  kings, 


THE   MYSTIC. 

Who  from  the  mystic  satchel  where  the  lots 

Are  cast  of  destiny,  to  him  brought  forth 

The  inedible  fruit  of  immortality. 

They  in  his  hands  the  volumed  lightnings  laid, 

And  bound  him  by  an  oath  which  all  tilings  heard, 

In  thunderous  echo  of  the  unuttered  word. 

The  balanced  hemispheres  he  held,  wherein 

The  good  and  evil  of  all  time  are  weighed, 

With  universal  justice,  whence  is  shown, 

By  all-solicitous  love  and  doom  divine, 

Man  is,  of  God,  the  mean,  and  God,  man's  end ; 

For  to  the  true  soul  all  are  ends  divined, 

From  everlasting,  to  their  ordinal  stand. 

Out  of  the  world-bright  cup  of  divination, 
Filled  from  the  stream  of  life,  that  'neath  the  throne 
Of  light  rolls  ever,  where  its  rhythmic  flow 
Breaks  into  song-fraught  wavelets  lipped  with  light, 
He  quaffed,  and,  mirrored  in  its  rim,  beheld 
All  forms  of  future  things  ;  the  magic  rose, 
Of  speechless  virtue,  proof  'gainst  all  vile  charms, 
That  blossomed  on  the  bank,  he  culled  and  smelled, 
And,  from  its  fragrance,  knowledge  of  the  passed 
Perfumed  his  being ;  from  the  whole  he  knew, 
Truth  of  all  times  and  wisdom  of  all  worlds, 
3 


34  THE    MYSTIC. 

That  all  the  constellations  of  the  skies 
Shall  lapse  into  the  lamb,  within  his  arms 
The  cross  of  light  upreared,  while  in  her  hand 
The  virgin  tunes  her  star-strung,  lilied  lyre. 

Of  the  celestial  vine,  ten  thousand  branched, 
Which  stretcheth  o'er  the  skyey  roof  of  earth, 
Heaven's  holy  tree,  whereon  the  luminous  fruit 
Of  soul  unborn,  in  glittering  clusters  hung, 
One  by  one  dropping  into  mortal  moulds, 
A  golden  shower,  he  tasted ;  and  by  stealth 
Plucked  from  the  pomegranates  of  Paradise, 
Unknown  to  crowds,  the  secret  fruit  of  life, 
Star-orbed,  immortal,  ripe  with  solar  seed 
The  single  seed,  deathful  yet  mastering  death, 
And  knew  himself  divinified ;  for  he, 
With  lote  and  holy  honeysuckle  crowned, 
As  well  the  bruised  theangeline,  which  gives 
Prophetic  sense,  as  juice  of  aglaophant, 
That  subjects  to  the  eye  the  invisible  world, 
And  horn  sweet  herblet  of  immortal  life, 
Sipped,  till  transmute  he  stood,  star-headed ;  felt 
His  eyes  irradiate  with  an  inward  light, 
And  recognized  his  angels  where  they  wheeled, 
Like  mated  falcons  round  their  creanced  young, 


THE   MYSTIC.  35 

Saluting  him  in  rapture,  man  of  men, 
Sole  son  of  life,  the  crown  and  heir  of  time. 

They  with  him  ranged  the  lucent  orb  throughout 
In  after  times  man's  home  to  be,  wherein 
Plain,  perfect,  shadowless,  like  a  globe  of  glass, 
Men  shall  be  known  of  separate  nations  only 
Because  their  lands  of  different  jewels  are ; 
The  continents  of  diamond,  isles  of  pearl ; 
There  shall  be  but  two  mountains,  this  of  gold, 
Of  silver  that ;  the  seas  shall  all  be  wine, 
The  lakelets  hydromel,  the  rivers  milk ; 
And,  like  some  mystic  palace,  every  home, 
A  star-walled  city,  seven-fold  fortified. 

He  at  their  hest  (so  Heaven's  own  book  of  spheres 

Insculpt  in  arrowy  light,  ordained)  his  soul 

In  the  moon's  argent  streams  did  imbaptize, 

And  purified  his  spirit  in  the  sun ; 

A  handful  there  of  astral  fire  then  seized, 

And  hid  it  in  his  bosom  like  a  flower ; 

From  whence  all  sacred  light  was  kindled  here. 

One  with  all  truth,  he  held  himself  divine 

While  e'er  he  breathed ;  a  flowering  branch  of  light, 

That  by  intense  devotion  shed  a  bloom 


36  THE   MYSTIC. 

Of  luminous  beauty  round  the  blinded  mass ; 
A  part  supreme  of  the  all-whole  supreme ; 
Perfection  in  perfection  perfected ; 
Abstracted  from  the  world  and  gained  to  God. 

Whirled  in  a  winged  chariot  with  the  skies 
Down  through  the  planetary  gates  of  light 
And  lunar  valves  descending,  earth  again 
He  raught,  and,  mingling  with  its  chequered  race, 
On  the  far  fields  of  fire  his  God  adored. 

TIME'S  arid  streamlet  through  its  glassy  gorge 

Slid  ceaseless ;  and  the  sphere-experienced  now, 

Like  to  the  pine,  that,  from  its  own  sweet  fruit, 

Springs  into  crowned  perfection,  from  that  crown 

Again  educing  its  delicious  end, 

Fell,  with  a  falling  star,  into  the  breast 

Of  a  mild  nymph,  who  by  the  muse-loved  bank 

Of  sweet  Ilissus  slumbered.     Sore  amazed 

She  watched  the  growing  wonder  of  her  side, 

Nor  knew  the  mystery  till  ten  times  the  moon, 

Working  like  marvellous  birth  in  heaven,  and  still 

As  oft  recovering  crescent  purity, 

Ushered  the  throbbing  secret  into  light, 

That  he  his  starry  ancestry  might  hail. 


THE   MYSTIC.  37 

Witting  right  well  what 't  was  to  fall  from  Heaven, 
From  the  immovable  star-plane  to  the  prime 
Conceptacle  of  motion,  moonwards,  through 
All  spheres  in  graded  order,  to  the  orb 
Where  dwells,  in  secret  cell,  the  hermit  Life ; 
His  lot  he  knew,  and  straightwise  calmly  went 
His  heaven-inquiring  way,  how  best  he  might 
Win  back  the  death-lost  birthright  of  the  skies. 

Plunged  in  primaeval  darkness  he  began, 
From  the  first  breathings  of  the  universe, 
His  godlike  quest.     By  all  the  elements 
He  was  advised  and  aided.     The  vast  sea 
Absolved  him  of  all  soil  of  sin ;  the  earth 
Embraced  him  as  a  child  in  her  dark  breast, 
And  of  her  life  the  active  passion  taught ; 
Fire  lent  him  torches  kindled  at  the  shrine 
Of  some  volcano's  mighty  altar,  reared 
By  mightier  nature  to  the  almighty  sire, 
That  he  might  light  the  holy  to  their  end. 

Air  gave  him  access  to  the  gods,  and  made 
Her  boundless  reaches,  rich  with  ore  of  light, 
Common  to  man  and  all  divinities ; 
The  ethereal  fields  of  fire  impalpable, 


38  THE    MYSTIC. 

Where  the  pro-kosmial  forms  of  thought  abide, 
Divine,  of  God  projected,  won  his  soul, 
With  pure  ingenerate  beauty,  to  explore 
Mind's  genial  mysteries ;  theirs  true  life  alone. 

But  though  all  helped  him,  none  could  satisfy  : 
The  course  and  destiny  of  that  he  sought 
Was  from  him  hid  in  Hades.     Many  a  rite 
Mysterious,  secret,  sacred,  night  and  day, 
With  numbers,  with  a  winnowed  few,  alone, 
Yea  sole,  at  last,  he  pressed  through,  till  to  him 
The  sun  and  moon,  the  glorious  twins  of  light, 
God's  golden  seal,  God's  silver  seal,  grew  dim 
To  the  self-luminous  truth  in  Hadean  halls 
Which  shining  showed  the  soul,  whose  fate  he  urged, 
The  bride-queen  of  the  God  that  sought  her  love, 
And  dowered  her  with  Elysium's  diadem. 

Rapt  to  the  breast  of  fontal  Deity 
Divine  embraces  there  received  he,  both 
Adoring  and  adored,  by  gods  themselves 
Worshipped  and  men,  he  moved  felicitous  ; 
The  radiant  serpent  nestling  in  his  breast 
And  twining  round  his  waist,  caducean.     Thence 
Regenerate,  and  divergent  weal  and  bale, 


THE   MYSTIC.  39 

Bound  to  the  sovran  sceptre  still  of  power, 

In  the  necessitous  knot  of  life  and  love 

Assigning,  godlike  to  the  universe, 

Consociate  of  divinity,  he  viewed, 

With  starry  and  all  sympathizing  eye, 

The  sublunary  realms  of  deathly  life ; 

Felt  the  assimilant  influences  of  heaven 

Flash  through  his  soul  with  lightning  joy,  and  meet 

Reply  in  earth-born  fulminations  made ; 

Saw  the  precontinence  of  the  whole  by  God 

Within  Himself,  and  ebb  of  Being's  sea. 

Blessed  with  all  visions  holy  and  divine, 

Communion  holding  only  with  the  wise, 

Silent  in  light  (the  radiant  lizard  loves 

And  lives  in  light,  himself  all  constellate) 

With  Truth  he  joyed  (as  when  the  moon,  disguised 

Like  naked  nymph,  her  limbs  of  light  revealed 

To  him,  enamored,  on  the  Latmian  hill, 

Whose  touch  was  inspiration,  whose  embrace 

Deific,  seemed  absorption  into  heaven); 

Abstinent  of  all  matter,  every  cause 

Of  mental  perturbation,  base  desire, 

Eradicate  and  razed,  the  lunar  ark 

Of  pure  regeneration  awed  he  viewed ; 


40  THE    MYSTIC. 

Beheld  the  aeternal  husbandman  of  heaven, 
Who  sowed  with  star-seed  all  the  wilds  of  space, 
Scattering  the  worlds  broadcast  upon  his  way ; 
And  to  that  tilth  crelestial  set  his  hand. 

But  not  descent  alone  knew  he ;  from  where 

Earth's  Atlantean  horizon  upheaves 

The  inconceivable  convex,  to  the  sum 

And  polar  point  of  light  he  passed,  and  thence, 

As  at  earth's  natal  movement,  downwards  struck, 

Through  starry  strophes  and  conversive  glide 

Of  orbs  that  round  the  ever-festive  sun. 

And  unformed  stars,  to  heaven's  immortal  gates ; 

And  as  all  nature  animate  on  earth 

Began  with  life  amphibious,  so  fore-starred 

By  the  coelestial  crab,  with  whom  the  world 

Its  eastward  march  commenced,  — (for  truly  earth 

Crept  ere  she  flew  upon  the  breathing  winds, 

Rounding  the  void  inane, — and  gradual  all 

Accomplish  due  perfection,)  —  he  between 

The  aseUine  starlets  and  the  manger  dim 

Won,  studious  of  the  universal  life ; 

Isis'  twin  godlings,  silence  and  the  light, 

Showed  him  their  common  immortality ; 

The  bull  with  horns  star-nebbed  ;  the  ram,  disk-crowned ; 


THE   MYSTIC.  41 

And  fish  Euphratean,  taught  their  varied  life, 

Their  spheral  natures  and  spiritual  hopes ; 

For  of  all  these  the  denizens  aspire 

Towards  the  invisible  and  paternal  heavens  ; 

By  his  cethereal  side  he  paused  who  pours 

(On  templed  tablet  traced),  from  ample  urn, 

The  first  effusion  into  chasmy  space. 

That  starry  stream  and  matter  prime  of  worlds, 

River  of  God,  on  silver  wings  he  swam, 

By  goat-fish,  crocodile,  or  horned  whale, 

The  mountain-swallowing  deluge  embleming, 

And  demigod,  who  voluntary  died, 

Aiming  star-headed  arrow  winged  with  light ; 

Who  taught  him  there  sidereal  truth  as  once 

The  Larissaean  youth  Parnassian  lore ; 

By  scorpion  death-stinged,  or  Typhonian  snake, 

He  boldly  hied ;  and  by  the  assessor  stern, 

With  rod  and  balance  poised,  saw  weighed  the  worlds, 

And  heard  the  utmost  measurement  of  time ; 

Beside  the  maid  fruit-bearing  he  espied 

Her  new-born  starlet,  the  god  altar-throned, 

By  all  the  moons  encircled  of  the  year ; 

And  lion,  hearted  with  a  royal  orb, 

Which  nigh  his  shaggy  shoulder  bore  the  sun, 

Invincible,  who,  'neath  his  yoke  of  light, 


42  THE   MYSTIC. 

Compels  the  starry  armies  of  the  heavens ; 
He,  thief  divine,  heaven's  starry  apples  steals, 
And  glories  in  the  feat ;  in  slumber  lulls 
Air's  orbed  eyes  o'erwatchful  of  the  earth; 
Unfolds  the  love  of  beauty  to  the  gods ; 
Fills  earth  with  nymphs  and  heroes,  and  their  seed 
Semi-divine ;  usurps  the  throne  of  heaven ; 
From  west  to  east,  foot-swiftest  of  all  things, 
Courses  the  sky ;  withdraws  the  moon  from  earth  ; 
Yet  mindful  of  the  time  when  once  with  eye 
Extinct  he  groped  the  concave,  till  the  flock, 
Ram-marshalled,  'scaped  the  darkness  of  the  sun, 
And  victims,  death  devote,  renewed  their  life ; 
And  once,  by  night  o'ercome,  his  locks  of  light 
Shorn, — but  Time's  temple  hath  not  fallen  yet ; 
Nor  yet  the  Herculean  pillars,  east  and  west, 
Embracing,  hath  he  hurled  to  total  wreck ; 
Nor  yet  the  gates  of  glory  gone  for  aye. 

There  resting  on  that  regal  sphere  of  light 

And  happiest  altitude,  he  stood  and  knew 

The  sethereal  essence  of  creation ;  saw 

The  world  of  mind  roll  Godwards  through  all  time, 

And  the  circuitous  course  of  good  in  life, 

Till  temporal  and  ^eternal  coalesce  ; 


THE    MYSTIC.  43 

For  stars  are  signs  of  constellated  truths 

./Eternal  in  the  intelligible  heavens  ; 

Saw  that  to  every  world,  wherever  placed, 

Shine  other  eagles,  serpents,  crosses,  crowns  ; 

That  hydra  sins  of  foul  corruption  bred 

Subdued  by  grace  are  glorified  ;  whose  yet 

Unceasing  sibilation  sounds,  through  life, 

To  arms,  the  saintly  combat  of  the  soul. 

Him,  therefore,  the  celestial  fiend,  who  breathes 

The  breath  of  death  and  from  his  mortal  mouth 

Empoisons  air ;  beneath  whose  fatal  fangs 

Creation  sickens  and  all  evil  reigns, 

He  fought,  to  free  from  fear  the  affrighted  world ; 

Until  the  all  holy  and  regenerant  star 

Rise  that  shall  rise,  and  into  light  transmute 

The  sacred  body  of  the  universe ; 

And  Truth,  triumphant  virgin  and  divine, 

All  virtues  heavenly  and  humane  fulfilled, 

All  suffering,  all  o'ercoming,  up  and  rule, 

Sweet  saviour  of  celestials.     She  his  brow 

There  sealing  with  a  seven-rayed  star,  in  sign 

Of  victory  achieved,  around  his  neck 

Olympian  wrapped  the  mantling  skies  moon-clasped ; 

The  solar  bowl  of  blended  blood  and  wine, 

That  sparkles  in  the  prototypic  skies, 


44  THE   MYSTIC. 

The  chalice  handed  aye  of  Nemesis 

To  lips  oracular,  dreadless  he  received, 

And  life  reviving  quaffed ;  whence,  clear  in  sight, 

He  saw  the  rise  of  spirit,  in  its  prime 

And  purity  sublimely  ignorant,  long, 

Till  after  lapse  and  forfeiture  of  bliss, 

All  earthly  suffering,  and  descent  of  death, 

Dearer  to  him  and  lovelier  for  her  fall, 

Celestial  love  the  soul  immortal  wed. 

Thence  tracing  the  unseen  course,  which  earth  shall 

tread, 

In  a  no  fabulous  future,  when  the  will 
Of  man,  so  oft  transversive  of  the  truth, 
With  God's  shall  coincide,  and  all  be  light,  — 
The  bright  abyss  he  soared,  but  left  unnamed ; 
Whether  in  lapse  of  ages  it  shall  trend 
Towards  the  Orphean  light,  —  of  old  there  held 
Type  of  concordant  spheres,  —  or  southern  sign, 
That  in  the  heavenly  roodloft  starwise  beams, 
Stands  untranslated  in  the  book  of  God. 
The  book  of  nature  He  himself  hath  writ 
God  still  delights  to  read,  and  star  by  star 
Unfolds  the  volume  of  the  universe 
Fate-clasped ;  in  time  and  order  by  Him  fixed. 


THE    MYSTIC.  45 

Thus  conversant  with  gods,  immortal,  he 

The  pure  perfection  whence  he  fell  regained, 

Gifts  pleni-solar,  and  pras-astral  powers, 

Prophetic,  and  mnemonic  of  all  time, 

With  added  wisdom  of  all  ill  and  good. 

The  gates  of  death  he  passed  and  doubly  lived, 

The  gates  of  life,  whereby  the  blest  ascend ; 

Then  drave  his  dragon  chariot  round  the  world, 

Lashing  with  lightnings  till  they  sweated  fire. 

Gaming  with  golden  dice,  he  of  the  Sun 

Won  thrice  his  light ;  of  ocean,  deep  by  deep, 

His  boundless  realms ;  of  earth,  her  countless  lands ; 

But  their  own  bade  them  take  again,  while  he 

One  moment  merged  in  that  leviathan  womb, 

And  through  the  starry  tabernacles  borne, 

By  seven  bright  maids  immortal,  (gleeful  they 

At  the  lost  brightness  refound,)  from  the  depths 

Of  heaven's  sidereal  river  drew  and  drank 

The  lymph  divine  of  light,  the  dew  of  life. 

Throughout  the  vast  passivity  he  passed 
All  active,  through  the  grand  ellipse  of  life, 
And  circular  progress  of  the  wind- winged  world, 
Safe  from  all  storms  of  fate  and  floods  of  ill, 
And  dreadless  of  the  gorgon  mask  of  Death. 


46  THE   MYSTIC. 

All  nature  gladdened  in  those  rites ;  the  sea 
Avouched  his  safety ;  fire  would  harm  him  none ; 
Danced  moon  and  sun  around  him  with  their  stars ; 
And  the  Great  Father  solemnly  rejoiced. 

Hallowed  of  heaven  and  consecrate  of  man, 

He  in  his  palm  the  eye-crowned  sceptre  swayed. 

And  belted  sate  enthroned  and  diademed. 

TIME'S  sand-dry  streamlet  through  its  glassy  strait 

Rilled  restless ;  and  the  heaven-invested  seer, 

Of  rainbow  born  and  dragon  stony-winged, 

While  lineally  descended  of  the  sun, 

And  cradled  in  regenerative  tomb, 

The  orbit  of  his  life  renewed.     Beside 

The  stream  that  through  the  midst  the  beauteous  isle 

Disparts,  tree  hid,  tree  hight,  (where  haply  once 

The  tyrant  lion  of  some  cavernous  land 

To  lesser  brutes  his  deathful  law  dispensed, 

Or  with  the  jungle  monarch,  ivory-tusked, 

Held  thunderous  parley  by  the  tidal  swamp,) 

Or  where  the  wave,  prophetic  and  divine 

From  Bala  pours ;  or  on  the  far-off  coasts 

Of  sacred  isle,  where  lunar  mysteries 

Are  solemnized,  as  erst,  and  consummate ; 


THE   MYSTIC.  47 

Or,  'mid  rude  dwellings,  once  the  abode  of  gods 

Of  hostile  faiths,  he  lowly  dwelled,  and  learned 

On  his  cold  knee,  before  white-bearded  Eld, 

From  Truth's  pale  lips  her  everlasting  lay, 

And  deepest,  pithiest  lore.     For  thrice  nine  years, 

Through  fits  of  silence,  loneness,  fasting,  toil. 

He  fought  the  foe  of  spirit  and  subdued. 

The  thrice-thinned  juices  of  the  all-healing  plant, 

With  moon-dews  mingled  and  eye-brightening  charms 

The  unseen  to  see,  himself  invisible ; 

Honey,  and  berries  red  of  the  eerie  wood, 

Oakcorns  and  apples,  roots  and  wheaten  cates, 

His  fare  and  bever  formed  for  twice  an  age, 

With  amber  flowing  mead  at  mooned  feasts. 

He  on  the  circular  mount  of  safety  dwelled, 

Taught  by  coelestial  serpent  of  the  sun ; 

And  learned  his  solar  syllables  of  fire, 

And  the  moon's  mountain  alphabet  (first  conned 

By  them  of  old,  who,  in  the  ark-hive,  warred 

Sole  with  a  world  of  waters,  warred  and  won)  ; 

And  from  the  rock,  cave-crested,  downwards  led, 

Eye-bounden,  by  the  hand  of  priestess  maid, 

Who  in  prophetic  solitude  abode ; 

Through  the  returnless  valley,  and  thick-branched 


48  THE   MYSTIC. 

Forest,  whose  trees  sore  strived,  with  audible  groans, 

Their  steps  to  intercept,  they  thrid  their  way 

Shorewards,  to  where  the  hazy  sea  of  death 

Broke  in  black  billows,  soundless  though  their  wrath, 

Intangible  its  waters.     Pacing  thence 

Into  a  skiff  of  grisly  marble,  they, 

O'er  those  mysterious  straits  quick  steering,  made 

The  isle  of  blessed  ghosts,  with  plenar  breath 

That  bright  witch-virgin,  silent  but  inspired, 

The  filmy  sail  o'erfilling,  and  called  up 

With  the  spirit  of  her  breath  so  fierce  a  storm, 

That  with  their  madding  moil  the  waves  themselves 

Inflamed ;  fire  boiled ;  and  all  the  waters  blaze. 

Conductress !  O  enchantress !  lead  me  back, 
He  cried,  among  the  nations.     They,  meanwhile 
Returning,  she  to  him  like  power  imparts, 
Which  freely  he  receives.     The  o'erflooding  stream 
Whose  freshets  grieved  the  villager,  he  froze 
With  one  blast  of  his  breath ;  then,  from  its  bed, 
Like  to  a  glistening  snake,  the  evil  tore, 
And  hung  it  high,  stream  upwards,  on  the  hill. 

Against  a  foamy  torrent  in  a  skiff 

Of  glass,  he  fountwards  steered,  nor,  rock-dashed,  brake ; 


THE    MYSTIC. 


49 


Till  in  the  stilly  birth-pool,  anchored  safe 
Amid  translucent  shadows,  he,  beyond 
All  watery  bruit  a  stone-cast,  rode  serene. 

By  living  ladder,  to  the  enchanted  chair 
Gigantic,  hewn  of  huge  and  holy  rock, 
Lifted,  he  sate  and  all  the  stars  outstared, 
Gazing  them  down,  dog,  centaur,  eagle,  bull ; 
And  the  unmeasured  monsters  of  Heaven's  main 
Came  foaming  to  his  feet  and  licked  his  hand. 
They  his  heart  lighted  up  ;  and  he  from  them 
Taught  wisdom  to  the  serpent ;  and  to  spheres 
Their  secret  revolution,  silent  song, 
And  sacred  circuition  of  the  sun. 


Impowered  in  turn  by  these  with  chariest  charms, 

The  sun,  from  dawn  to  night-noon,  he  outeyed 

From  the  peaked  mountain  which  commands  the  world. 

And  earth's  penumbral  pinions,  by  her  side 

Quivering ;  with  him  he  leaped  in  joy  of  life 

Immortal  proven,  hand  in  hand,  through  air ; 

In  sign  whereof,  on  that  most  holy  day, 

Heaven's  globed  flower,  whose  perfume  is  the  light, 

Rose  from  the  polar-north  perpend,  and  not 

With  slow  initial  motion  from  the  west, 

4 


50  THE   MYSTIC. 

As  theretofore,  in  ages  lost  to  time, 
Ere  coal-palm  leaved,  or  pristine  pine,  now  tombed 
In  earth's  sepulchral  centrals,  had  put  forth 
The  mystic  life-cone,  fern  her  feathery  stem. 

On  many  an  altar  at  his  beck  the  sun 
Shot  down  his  shafts  of  light ;  the  heavens  and  he 
Spake  miracles  together,  and  exchanged 
Sojourn  of  spirits ;  for  the  heavenly  came 
Earthwards,  and  heavenwards  went  the  earthlier. 

Between  the  fires  of  sun  and  moon  he  passed 
Benefic ;  and  throughout  the  hallowed  land, 
As  at  the  great  rekindling,  when  the  heavens 
Shall  shine  with  souls  in  galaxies,  as  now 
With  stars,  beneath  the  priest  creator's  hand,  — 
Dealt  forth  to  all  the  sun-incepted  light. 

Upon  the  pyrameidal  mount  of  law 

He  sat,  and  soothed  the  nations  at  his  feet, 

Urging  in  wavy  tribes  their  yearly  right 

Of  blessing,  and  prescriptive  gift  of  fire, 

The  dues  of  doom,  the  balance  and  the  chain  ; 

The  starry  chain  which  links  all  souls  to  God. 


THE    MYSTIC.  51 

Born  from  between  the  trinal  clifts,  age-ripe, 

In  love  and  wisdom  lie  all  power  consummed ; 

Midst  of  the  luminous  circle  where  the  one 

The  twain  o'ertowers,  and  from  the  twain  the  third 

Derives,  the  whole  one  trine ;  and  where  the  sun, 

Beside  his  sacred  city,  as  the  close 

Of  the  great  year  comes  ssecularly  round, 

Descends,  and  sings  and  dances  through  the  night ; 

Harping  to  all  around  his  own  high  deeds, 

The  grain  and  fruit  he  ripens,  and  the  breasts 

Of  living  things  he  animates  anew, 

In  countless  generations,  times  untold ; 

The  many-nationed  orbs  he  fills  with  joy ; 

The  many-citied  lands  he  roofs  with  light ; 

The  many-isle  d  seas  he  sows  with  life ; 

While  o'er  them  all  his  golden  robe  he  casts, 

Stands  the  arch  mystic,  celebrant  of  Heaven  : 

And  as  the  solar  song  in  silence  ends, 

All  gazing  on  the  firmamental  eye, 

Responsive  to  the  light,  his  lyre  he  lifts, 

And  sings  with  sphaeral  power  creation  past :  — 

God  was,  alone  in  unity.     He  willed 
The  infinite  creation ;  and  it  was. 
That  the  creation  might  exist,  His  Son, 


52 


THE   MYSTIC. 


And  that  it  might  return  to  Him,  the  Spirit 

Disclosed  themselves  within  Him ;  thus  triune 

But  as  the  all-made  must  of  necessity 

Inferior  be  to  its  creator,  thus 

Arose  the  infinite  imperfect,  time, 

The  spirit-host  angelic,  heavenly  race, 

Brute  life  and  vegetive,  electric  light, 

Matter  and  fleshly  form ;  to  human  souls 

Nine  generations  from  eeternity. 

But  God,  who  is  Love,  decreed  it  should  return 

By  pure  regeneration  unto  God  ; 

Wherefore  was  need  that  He  from  whom  came  life 

Should  taste  death,  but  in  tasting  swallow  up ; 

That  commune  with  all  creatures  might  be  made, 

On  this  hand,  and  on  that,  with  Deity. 

Thus  death  and  evil  expiate  ends  divine ; 

The  Spirit  the  imperfect  hallowing,  death 

The  Son ;  the  soul  regenerate  hies  to  God ; 

And  as  in  radial  union  with  the  point 

Infinite,  both  in  greatness  place  and  power, 

Lives  with  the  maker  and  the  all-made  in  love. 

In  anticlinal  order  next  he  hailed, 
And  mterpendent  harmonies  of  song, 
Gentle  and  fine  as  the  concurrent  curve, 


THE   MYSTIC.  53 

Perpetual,  in  the  orbits  of  twin  stars, 

The  future  fates  and  times  divine  to  be ; 

The  negative  divinity  of  man ; 

The  holy  and  unhappy  blent  in  bliss 

At  last ;  the  passed  unburthened  of  her  doom, 

Like  conscience  of  her  self-secretive  truth, 

Condemning  conduct  but  assuring  life  ; 

And  when,  in  that  vast  volume  penned  of  God 

Whose  text  is  earth,  whose  margin  is  the  main, 

His  everlasting  service  shall  become 

One  hymn  triumphant,  jubilant ;  from  all 

Doubt  or  fear  free,  remorse  or  self-reproach ; 

Serenely  issuing  from  the  soul  of  man, 

As  from  the  lee  of  the  overshadowing  moon, 

Suddenly  perfect,  glides  a  star  occult. 

Ceased  he ;  and  all  apart  as  the  altar  stone 
Of  some  Titanic  temple,  reared  in  eld, 
The  golden  and  gigantic  age  of  earth, 
By  sacred  groves,  sun-founts  and  seats  of  gods 
Enringed,  and  radial  avenues  of  rocks 
All  navelling  in  the  sanctuary  divine. 
There  at  the  universal  mother's  shrine, 
Round  whom  nine  hallowed  maidens  minister, 
He  worships  in  the  granite-winged  fane. 


54  THE   MYSTIC. 

From  wisdom's  pearl-lipped  bowl  the  draught  he  drains 

Of  pure  oracular  rede,  which  rendereth  men 

As  gods  wise,  and  illumed  with  day -like  light : 

Then  with  his  white  wand  cleaves  the  skies,  and  gives 

To  kings  their  laws,  to  states  their  faith,  to  both 

The  empire  he  disdeigns.     To  all  he  makes 

Patent  his  end,  (truth's  honey-gilded  draught 

Boding  him  this,)  and  on  the  central  shrine, 

The  great  dark  stone,  symbol  of  darkness'  self 

All-emanant,  and  the  divine  obscurity 

Of  Deity,  as  on  the  heart  of  light, 

Fanned  by  the  sacred  winds,  which  fail  not  then 

Due  service  to  the  high  departing  soul, 

Tempests  and  clouds  the  playthings  of  his  power, 

Serene  in  will,  and  willing  not  to  be, 

Upright  he  sate,  and  eyed  the  sun,  and  died. 

Initiate,  mystic,  perfected,  epopt, 
Illuminate,  adept,  transcendent,  he 
Ivy-like,  lived,  and  died,  and  again  lived, 
Resuscitant.     On  high  his  nest  he  wove 
In  the  strange  tree  whereof  man  first  was  made, 
Whose  roots  reach  down  to  hell,  whose  topmost  bough 
Waves  its  bright  leaflets  in  the  airs  of  heaven, 
And  communed  with  the  universal  life, 


THE    MYSTIC.  55 

Beloved  of  lightning  for  its  kindred  birth, 

That  vivifies  its  veins ;  until  possessed 

Of  all  that  could  be  known,  the  whole  he  knew ; 

Cropped   where   they   grew   the   flowers   of  learning, 

massed 
In  meadowy  beds,  and  bright  with  fragrant  dew. 

Carving  with  glyphic  art  immortal  runes, 

That  rule  the  reluctant  spirits  of  the  dead, 

On  living  wood,  with  primal  matter  oned, 

Which  breedeth  still  betimes  celestial  fruit, 

He,  arrow-like,  launched  forth  —  heaven  is  a  bow 

The  chord  whereof  is  earth  —  and  charmed  his  way 

Led  by  prismatic  clue  through  spheres  and  skies, 

Fire,  ice,  and  scalding  venom-floods  of  hell, 

To  prove  all  sacred  truth  within  himself; 

To  test  all  holy  virtues ;  and  to  know 

The  sovereign  Master  of  the  universe, 

Who  hallowing,  blessed  his  hemispheral  aim. 

To  him  too  came  from  Preadamic  kings 
The  shield  of  power,  graved  with  seven  mystic  seals, 
Transcript  of  stars  that  signalized  release 
Jointly,  to  him,  of  their  domain  o'er  earth ; 
Incaved  wherein,  the  book  of  light  he  conned 


56  THE    MYSTIC. 

And  read  inscribed  the  truths  which  hallow  heaven, 

Yea,  viewed  all  mysteries  not  ineffable 

And  ne'er  to  be  unsealed,  denude  themselves 

Into  two  truths,  of  God  and  man,  they  one ; 

The  light  enlightened  and  enlightening  light. 

From  scrolls  Sethasan  and  the  columned  lore 

Of  lands  unknown,  or  which  was  wisely  hid 

In  pre-diluvian  volumes,  (lost,  alas ! 

Neath  those  ebullient  waters  which  engulfed 

The  foulnesses  and  sins  of  a  naught  world ; 

Or  if  conserved,  in  purity  conserved 

Only,  within  that  temple  subterrene, 

Gem-pillared  and  nine-porched,  from  dust-doomed  eye 

Secreted,  by  one  deathless  reared,  ere  yet 

Translated  to  the  bosom  of  his  God,) 

The  secret  orders  of  the  sphere  he  learned, 

Not  yet  to  be  revealed,  nor  till  the  end, 

The  coming  incandescence  of  the  globe ; 

Then  let  the  Heavens  astounded,  list  to  Fate. 

By  divine  science  and  ccelestial  art 

He  for  the  cause  of  the  dear  nations  toiled, 

And  augusted  man's  heavenly  hopes  that  so, 

Child  of  the  vast  and  universal  man, 

(Man  archetypal,  starry  and  terrene, 

Whose  head  is  high  above  the  angelic  seven, 


THE   MYSTIC.  57 

Whose  heart  the  sun,)  he  might,  by  awful  rites 
Hinted  in  sacro-sanctities  of  the  wise, 
From  knowledge  of  asternal  names  acquest, 
Illumined  intellect  and  pure  desire, 
Adhossion  with  Divinity  achieve. 

His  eyes,  from  constant  converse  with  the  stars, 

Conceived  an  astral  virtue,  and  his  brow, 

Cooled  with  their  fragrant  breath,  grew  bright;   his 

soul, 

One  and  compatient  with  the  life  of  time, 
Rose  kosmical  with  all  God's  great  designs ; 
And  so  on  earth  their  luminous  life  enjoyed, 
The  unapparent  and  essential  fates. 
For  God,  when  first  He  form'd  man,  so  insphered, 
And  veiled  with  beauty  all  compulsive  power 
(Necessity,  when  isolate  becoming 
By  limited  mutations  of  the  will, 
A  self-determinate  freedom  and  minute) 
In  the  individual  soul,  that  none  but  they 
Who  extasie  divine  enjoy,  agnize 
The  universal  impulse,  but  so  act 
As  though  they  ordered  all  things  of  themselves, 
And  heaven  were  but  the  registrar  of  earth. 
In  nations,  creeds,  and  ages,  men  can  trace, 


58  THE   MYSTIC. 

Star-writ  in  night's  imperial  book  of  fate, 
The  world's  vast  destinies  ;  but  void,  alas ! 
Of  introvertive  vision,  not  their  own. 

To  God  soul-bounden,  as  some  sacred  orb, 
Content  in  its  own  brightness  to  outshine, 
Or  be  outshined  by  others,  he  the  whole 
Perceived  to  him  pertain,  and  him  to  all ; 
And  found,  by  nature's  ominous  sympathies, 
His  private  fates  proceed,  like-paced,  with  God's, 
And  their  fore-fixed  purposes  concur. 

In  temple-like  totality  he  held 
His  heart,  hypaethral,  open  to  all  heaven ; 
And  to  all  earth  her  future  and  her  passed, 
Magician-like,  divulges  from  his  charts. 

As  when  of  old  some  king  of  men  might  trail 
Between  two  hosts  his  glittering  spear,  and  mark 
War's  red  meridian,  in  that  dusty  score 
Graving  the  death  of  empires  and  the  birth 
Of  new  thrones,  till  in  flow  of  years  arise 
One  who  erases  from  the  face  of  earth 
That  sanguine  wrinklet,  so  the  universe 
Contentiously  divaricate,  he  shows 


THE   MYSTIC.  59 

Made  one  in  spirit  with  eternity ; 
For  man  divine  shall  reign ;  shall  cede  to  God 
All  rights,  all  laws,  both  priestly  and  externe, 
Vulgar  and  regal.     One  conclusive  claim 
All  passed  confirms,  and  hallows  all  to  come. 

To  every  mind  the  meaning  it  hath  meant, 

Though  blindly  blundering  on  through  clouds  of  speech, 

And  crowds  of  forms,  in  surface  differing, 

He,  sole  interpreter,  with  holy  rod 

Hermetic,  explicates,  and  proves  for  peace  ; 

That  all  divisive  theories  but  denote 

A  secondary  standing  of  the  soul, 

And  partial  knowledge  only  of  the  truth ; 

Whose  faith  is  truest  into  all  projects 

That  blessed  secret,  unitive  and  divine, 

The  totalizing  wisdom  of  all  creeds, 

The  faith  asternal  and  entire,  which  us 

Ones  with  the  heavens ;  and  that  in  all  worlds,  though, 

By  the  imperfect  mean  it  passeth  through, 

(As  told  in  mysteries  tauro-serpentine,) 

Good  begets  evil,  evil  brings  forth  good 

In  blest  regeneration  ;  and  that  God, 

Who  all  creates,  all  saves,  all  sanctifies ; 

Man,  in  himself,  both  sacred  and  profane. 


60  THE    MYSTIC. 

These  are  the  laws  of  light,  sweetly  severe, 

Which  show  that  what  disorder  seems,  gives  proof 

Of  order  loftier  than  the  mind  of  man 

(Who  holds,  because  his  little  eyeball 's  round, 

The  infinites  must  be  all  orbicular) 

Pews  in  its  petty  systems :  and  these  laws 

He,  sagest  Theocrat,  whose  church  is  heaven, 

Whose  state  all  earth,  whose  law  the  book  of  God, 

The  sole  converter  of  the  universe, 

Kept  in  his  heart  with  holy  fire ;  and  thus, 

In  changeful  perfectness,  the  wheel  of  life 

Trolled  underneath  his  feet,  till  he  beheld 

Grim,  o'er  the  funeral  hatchment  of  the  world, 

Death's  empty  helm  yawn ;  and  his  toil  was  done. 

Like  Mekkah's  milky  stone,  which  wastes  away 
Beneath  the  kiss  of  worshippers,  so  life 
Darkens  and  wanes  beneath  its  crowd  of  cares ; 
While  Time's  last  sands  silt  up  the  streams  of  soul, 
Less,  gradually  decreasing,  less  and  less. 

As  when  in  northern  marches  dies  a  man 
Well  famed  of  men,  for  virtues,  or  for  birth, 
Great  grows  the  press  of  mourners  round  his  grave, 
In  ceremonious  silence ;  great  the  show 


THE   MYSTIC.  61 

Of  lawny  weepers  lifted  to  dim  eyes, 

As  slowly  slideth  the  bier  downwards ;  all 

Bare-headed,  wordless ;  so  with  simplest  pomp 

Of  their  mere  presence,  all  earth's  kindred  creeds 

(And  his  was  perfect,  he  believed  in  God, 

In  God  the  Spirit,  and  God-man,  the  Son) 

Clung  round  his  heart  and  sanctified  his  end. 

All  gifts  were  therefore  given  him,  seals  and  signs 

Of  radiant  force  and  triply  perfect  power. 

The  spirit  of  earth  to  him  his  double  key, 

Defensive  from  all  ills,  all  goblins,  gave ; 

Wisdom  her  adamantine  seal,  and  Truth 

Her  sapphire  signet ;  Love  his  ruby  ring. 

Spirits  and  apparitions  of  pure  grace 

Came  shadowy  round  at  his  interior  will ; 

And  one  in  chief,  of  angel  charm,  would  come, 

(As  though  within  her  breast  a  dawn  divine, 

Insensibly  were  orbing  into  life,) 

Perfused  with  roseate  radiance,  like  a  star 

Veiled  in  creative  fire-mist,  who  his  eye 

With  spiritual  clear-sight  filling,  showed 

Truths  past  all  search,  all  height,  all  depth,  all  bound, 

Of  interspheral  orders,  and  their  rise, 

Action,  and  central  end.     She  in  her  own 


62  THE    MYSTIC. 

Bright  virtue  him  embracing  gave  his  soul 
In  secret,  sweet  assumption  into  heaven; 
And  both  with  filial  and  parental  bliss 
Imbued,  bade  wander  through  the  golden  plains 
With  diamond  blooms  bestarred ;  but  ere  she  left, 
Lest  he  celestial  pleasures  might  profane, 
Commingling  speech  thereof  with  mundane  things, 
By  the  thrice  sacred  kiss  of  secrecy, 
An  adamantine  oath,  his  lips  she  sealed. 

The  mount  of  shadow  earth  each  night  uprears, 

The  sun  each  morn  planes  down,  he  clomb,  and  held 

Parley  with  orb  and  angel  as  they  passed 

Self-luminous  on  their  quests ;  his  nebulous  thoughts 

Grouping  in  firmamental  unities. 

At  his  will-fraught  and  evocative  word, 

The  strange  star  brightened  largelier,  and  poured  forth 

Its  voice  of  light,  or  speechlessly  withdrew 

Into  its  azure  chambers,  which  the  wide 

Abyss,  precipitous,  of  space,  o'erhang. 

The  spirit-world,  thus  lovably  coerced, 
Did  homage,  in  such  service  deeming  them 
Triumphant ;  and  reciprocal  with  all, 
All  loyally  he  ruled.     Thereat  rejoiced, 


THE   MYSTIC.  63 

All  wisdom  in  one  whisper  they  conveyed, 

All  language  uttered  in  one  mystic  word 

Wrought  of  sun-heated  fire-flame,  first  pronounced 

Among  the  angels  proximate  to  the  throne ; 

Where  cloaked  with  threefold  light  the  all  Divine, 

The  infinite  point,  the  circumfused  Supreme 

Deific  dwells,  whose  thoughts  are  tinged  with  heaven, 

His  own  asternal  and  impropriate  bliss, 

As  clouds  and  mountains  with  the  noonday  light. 

For,  even  as  darkness,  self-impregned,  brings  forth 

Creative  light,  and  silence,  speech  ;  so  beams, 

Known  through  all  ages,  hope  and  help  of  man, 

One  God  omnific,  sole,  original, 

Wise  wonder-working  wielder  of  the  whole 

Infinite,  inconceivable,  immense, 

The  midst  without  beginning,  and  the  first 

From  the  beginning,  and  of  all  Being  last. 


A   SPIRITUAL   LEGEND. 


A  SPIRITUAL  LEGEND. 


THEKE  were  who  spiritual  legends  feigned, 
Half  lofty,  half  profound,  not  nigh  half  true, 
Believed,  or  seemed ;  whereof  one  instance  hear, 
As  erst  by  early  Gnostic  of  the  Nile 
Taught ;  garnished  and  enlarged  in  later  years. 

Ere  all,  in  ancientry  aeterne,  was  God 
(Holy  and  blessed  alway  be  His  name) 
In  essence  inconceivable.     He  in  space 
As  luminous  fulness,  pure  perfection  dwelled, 
And  in  an  infinite  unity. 

Coa3terne 

With  God  (for  ever  blest  and  worshipped  be 
His  name)  and  contrary  to  Him  as  good 
Was  matter,  mother  of  all  evil,  end 
And  centre,  caused  by  Deity  nowise. 


68  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Light 

And  darkness  are  the  emblems  of  these  powers, 
And  ensigns.     From  their  opposition  comes 
Of  good  and  evil  like  necessity ; 
While  death  and  body,  life  and  soul,  compugn. 

From  the  All  Being  Father  (Love  his  name, 
Mercy  and  Grace)  the  Spirit  first  was  born, 
The  spirit,  thence  the  Reason,  called  the  Word ; 
From  reason,  Providence ;  from  providence 
Came  Power  and  Wisdom ;  wisdom  Righteousness 
Joyful  brought  forth,  and  power  almighty,  Peace. 

God's  light  through  His  trine  essence  self-reflected, 

As  through  an  infinite  prism,  and  like  the  sun, 

Of  heaven's  great  bow  the  sevenfold  hues  producing 

These  seven  blessed  spirits,  attributes  divine 

Which  do  His  essence  designate,  evolved. 

He,  in  His  own  substantial  deity, 

The  same,  to  whom  the  septenary  stars 

And  days  of  time  be  consecrate,  conceived, 

Issued  and  vivified,  with  Him  to  live ; 

Ionian  beings  of  divinest  strain. 

Of  these  the  twain,  hight  Power  and  Wisdom,  joined 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  69 

In  holy  union,  forthright  generate 

Angels  of  highest  rank  and  noblest  force, 

In  nature  godlike,  and  in  number  such 

As  saintly  calculations  dedicate 

To  heavenly  orders ;  such,  on  Thracian  mount, 

The  maiden  muses,  sacred  to  the  sun, 

Who,  hand  in  hand,  with  ominous  laurel  crowned, 

Roses  or  stars,  do  hymn  the  universe. 

Pure  and  beneficent  these ;  inferior  still 
To  their  progenitors,  as  they  to  those 
From  whom  they  boast  their  birth.    These  first  com 
posed 

A  heaven  wherein  companionably  to  dwell, 
And  to  delight  each  other.     From  them  sprang, 
Native  to  thrones  and  glories  unconceived, 
Angelic  generations,  rank  on  rank, 
And  heaven  on  heaven,  innumerably  spread 
Down  through  the  starry  crystalline,  in  clouds ; 
Each  order  forming  its  own  coelestial  home ; 
Like  numbered  with  the  daily  circlets  of  the  year. 

These  all  the  dominance  supreme  confessed 
Of  the  ^Eternal,  in  one  mystic  word 
Abraxas,  since,  on  many  a  jasper  gem, 


70  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Of  talismanic  and  regenerant  force, 
Insculptured,  —  hailing  Him  their  total  lord 
And  Spirit  Father. 

They,  meanwhile,  who  dwelled 
Of  the  angelic  nations,  in  the  last 
And  lowest  round  of  all  the  heavens  which  stretched 
Its  confines  to  the  dark  material  mass, 
Malignant,  uncreate,  inert,  self-lived,    • 
Which  lay,  a  weltering  chaos,  deep  below, 
Felt,  as  their  glittering  pinions  oft  they  poised 
In  level  flight  above  its  stormy  face, 
And  gulfs  of  unpierced  wonders,  vast  desire, 
Heightened  by  warm  debate  among  themselves, 
Their  neighboring  state  to  soothe  and  purify ; 
And  form,  leave  sought  of  God,  first,  and  obtained, 
Since  theirs  the  limits  of  the  angel  realm, 
A  race  of  beings  fitted  therein  to  abide, 
Branch  forth  and  govern  other  lower  lives, 
To  be  for  their  behoof  created. 

Fired 

With  this  imperial  and  divine  intent, 
Through  the  three  hundred  three  score  spheres  and 

five 

Of  super-imminent  hierarchies,  flew  up 
A  band  eclect  of  the  ethereal  powers, 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  71 

Who  carried  rapture  on  their  snowy  wings, 
Unto  the  footstool  of  the  omnipotent  One. 

0 

There,  breathing  low  their  wishes  and  desires, 
Made  holy  by  the  end,  to  enlarge  God's  reign 
And  purify  and  dignify  the  mass 
Of  matter,  dark  and  void,  with  creatures  apt 
For  such  estate,  though  lower  far  than  they, 
God  hearkened,  granted  leave  to  do  their  will, 
And  proffered  more  even  then. 

Plenipotent 

The  suppliant  assemblage  returned ;  their  brows, 
As  through  circumvolant  myriads  on  they  passed, 
Bright  with  the  sense  of  God's  imputed  power, 
Flashing  delight.     Benevolent  they  went, 
Creative  they  returned ;  and  to  their  hosts 
Of  fellow-immortals  all  their  triumphs  tell. 

Grand  was  the  joy  throughout  those  radiant  tribes, 
Lift  to  the  zenith  of  celestial  bliss, 
And  instant  impulse  urging  to  begin 
The  work  orbific ;  glorying  in  their  plans 
Of  future  suzerainty  and  wide-spread  sway 
Among  new  worlds  of  creatures  yet  to  be. 


72  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

God  taking  thought,  Himself,  of  sun  and  star, 
With  whom  to  think,  indeed,  is  to  create, 
Those  heavenly  isles  of  light,  of  light  profound, 
Light  within  light,  the  bright  abodes  of  bliss ;  — 
Chaos,  the  rude  conglomerate,  co-seterne 
With  all  Divinity,  they  first  commenced 
To  soften,  free  and  sever  by  degrees, 
From  multiform  confusion,  into  fixed 
And  elemental  sections. 

Thence  appeared 

The  all  genetic  waters  and  clear  depths 
Of  air's  unseen  but  palpable  flood,  wherein 
The  water-mountains  melt,  in  themselves  drowned  ; 
The  youthful  breeze ;  and  fierce  gigantic  storms, 
Allies  of  evil  and  confederate  fiends, 
Which  the  sun's  variable  heat  obey ; 
The  virgin  fire,  inviolably  pure ; 
And  earth's  all  mothering  bosom. 

Soon,  distinct, 

Ocean  and  continent,  sea,  desert,  plain 
Mineral  and  vegetive,  concrete,  complete, 
By  separate  hand,  each  Power  a  separate  type 
Framing,  to  grace  his  will,  or  prove  his  force, 
Of  stone,  earth,  tree,  plant,  shrub,  grass,  herb,  or  flower, 
Mountain,  or  isle,  or  river,  lake,  or  well. 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  73 

The  angels  made  the  solid  earth  ;  its  rocks 

Chaotic  and  amorphous,  petrified  fire, 

Granitic,  oolitic ;  sand  and  lime ; 

Igneous  and  aquatic  beds  of  stone 

Upheaving  or  collapsing,  seemed,  in  turn, 

The  awful  sport  of  some  Titanian  arm, 

Whose  elbow,  jogged  by  earthquakes,  wryed  the  pole. 

The  angels  wrought  the  mountains,  bulk  by  bulk, 
And  chain  by  chain,  serrated  or  escarped, 
Or  coal-red  burning  from  Vulcanian  forge ; 
Hekla  and  Mouna  Roa  and  Auvergne ; 
Tuxtla ;  and  Tongarari,  southwards  isled ; 
By  savages  beset,  who  deem,  when  dead, 
Their  chieftain's  eyes  translated  into  stars ; 
Andes  and  Himalaya's  heavenly  heights ; 
Dhawalaghiri's  pinnacle  supreme, 
And  Chuquibamba's  cone  of  roseate  snow; 
The  hill  Altaic  named  the  almighty  god, 
By  Tchudic  tribelets  of  the  age  of  mounds ; 
Higher  than  lark  can  soar,  or  falcon  fly, 
Cloudlet,  or  visible  vapor  scud,  it  stands ; 
Oural,  and  Balkan ;  Alp,  and  Alp  pennine ; 
The  magnet  mountain  which  directeth  earth, 
Brainlike,  ensconced  beneath  her  snowy  crown ; 


74  A   SPIRITUAL   LEGEND. 

Lupata's  mighty  spine ;  Lamalmon's  pass, 
O'ertoppling ;  Abba  Yaret's  glittering  peak ; 
Ankobar's,  Medra's  ranges  ;  all  that  ring 
The  desert  heart  of  slave-land,  or  thence  stretch 
To  the  Cape  of  Storms,  and  lion  of  the  sea ; 
And  Erebus  antarctic,  fenced  with  ice. 
Marmoreal  mountains,  by  their  radiant  hand 
Polished  to  white  perfection,  so  to  prove 
A  beauty  beyond  use,  the  angels  piled  ; 
Kailasa,  and  the  sethereal  mount  Meru, 
Dazzling  the  sun  with  gems ;  Larnassus  green ; 
And  Athos,  and  Montserrat,  holy  heights, 
Mountains  of  monks,  and  hills  of  eremites ; 
And  that  Kropakhian,  wonder-mountain  named, 
Without,  within :  whose  central  fount  obeys, 
With  an  obsequious  volume,  the  moon's  wane 
Or  increment ;  and  that  funereal  spur 
Of  dark  black  marble  that  beglooms  the  air; 
Or,  walling  earth,  the  spirit-haunted  Kaf, 
With  many  a  mythic  marvel  crowned  of  eld ; 
That  crystal  mount  (cloud  crested,  once  it  stood 
In  western  Tucuman)  with  bright  reply 
Answering  the  solar  messages  of  light 
As  equal  equal ;  deep  below  its  base, 
O'erarched  a  navigable  river  runs, 


A    SPIRITUAL   LEGEND.  75 

Rumbling  its  rock-pent  breakers,  white  with  wrath ; 

Or  where,  'mid  central  isthmus  (on  each  hand 

Pacific  and  Atlantic  tides)  is  built 

Coy  Iximaya  and  the  precipitous  gates 

Of  that  recondite  capital,  haply  doomed 

To  vanish  into  cloudland ;  the  idol  rock 

Mackinaw  vaunts,  where  red  braves,  worshipping, 

Prophetic  murmurs  of  oracular  shell, 

Shrined  in  its  ark,  hearkened ;  and  holy  Tor 

In  many  a  land  to  deity  devote  ; 

Divine  Alborz,  the  holy  mountain  named, 

Where,  sunlike,  the  Simorgh,  all-wise,  abode, 

Moon-peaked ;  or  mount  oracular  of  the  gods, 

Olympus  blest ;  and  either  sacred  Ide ; 

In  that  bright  isle  where  Rama  reigned,  the  peak 

Whereon  the  print  of  Bouddha's  foot  (esteemed 

The  last  of  gods)  or  Adam's,  first  of  men, 

Hallows  the  land  to  pilgrims  of  all  creeds ; 

And  thee,  dread  Sakhrat,  pendent  once  in  air, 

Now  fixed ;  once  soft  as  heart  of  man  to  grasp 

Prophetic ;  'neath  whose  saturated  roots 

All  fountains  rise  ;  plomb  underneath  the  new 

City  of  God ;  upon  whose  crest  shall  stand 

The  stern  archangel  when  with  judgment  trump 

He  hails  the  generations  of  our  race, 


76  A    SPIRITUAL   LEGEND. 

Those  living,  those  whom  hollow  Hades  holds  : 
All  these  and  countless  more  the  angels  wrought, 
While  dear  they  were  to  God  and  kind  to  earth. 

The  angels  trenched  the  rivers  ;  and  unsealed 

The  secret  wealth  of  many  a  fountainous  hill ; 

Where  Oby,  now,  or  sunny  Kour,  for  wine, 

And  virgin  gold,  and  hapless  virgin  slaves, 

Renowned,  flows  ;  holy  Boug ;  or  warlike  Don  ; 

Or  Po,  by  Goths  imprayed  with  murderous  rites ; 

Or  that,  beneath  whose  bed  the  wasteful  Hun, 

God's  scourge,  lies  coffined ;  (so  shall  onetime  sleep 

All  evil,  'neath  the  covering  flood  of  love  ;) 

Where  Darro,  by  the  mountain  of  the  sun, 

Sweeps  with  steep  wave  ;  or  Guadiana  dives ; 

Or  where  the  rivers  flow,  of  life,  of  death ; 

Volga,  or  legendary  Rhine ;  or  Rhone, 

Vine-banked ;  or  Thames,  with  the  world's  wealth  and 

that 

City  of  cities,  crowned  with  golden  spires, 
The  towers  of  God,  enriched ;  Isis,  or  Cam, 
For  love  of  wisdom  famed,  and  Clutha,  sung 
By  warrior  harps  of  old  days ;  there,  where  now 
Ohio  broadens,  or  gross  Missouri  dims 
The  deepening  sire  of  floods,  aye  tiding  on 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  77 

His  current  deluge  to  the  gulfy  breast 

Of  central  seas ;  or,  Niagara  hurls, 

Precipitant,  his  thunderous  waters  down 

Their  crescent  steep ;  or  silver  river,  south, 

Through  grass-flowered  Pampas  pours  recoiling  wave, 

Prescient  of  blood  fraternal  ere  the  end ; 

His  face  with  intertwining  snakes  alive, 

Thick  as  the  savage  tribes  that  tread  around ; 

From  Boreal  ice-floes  where  all  waters  cease, 

To  Magellanic  straits  and  land  of  fire ; 

Where  pagan  Saghalien,  iced  to  his  bed 

Three  seasons  yearly,  steals ;  or  sacred  Sinde ; 

Or  Chandra-bagha,  holy  to  the  moon ; 

Or  Brahmapootra,  fling  o'er  bordering  meads 

Their  annual  floodlets  fruitful ;  or  Hoang-ho 

Through   fragrant   tea-fields   winds;    or  where,   with 

palms 

Embanked,  barbarian  Quorra ;  there  men  trade 
In  ivory,  gold,  and  blood ;  nor  far  remote, 
Who  the  divine  child,  babe  aeterne,  adore, 
Unconscious  deity ;  or  Zenhagal, 
With  gum-woods  girt ;  or  Gambia ;  or,  rock-brinked, 
That  by  Mataman,  townless  land,  rolls ;  that 
Kaffrarian,  endless  called ;  and  (only  found 
Late-while)  who  through  the  island  continent  glides, 


78  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

His  current  dwindling  seawards,  dark  Moray ; 

While  Araluen's  golden-footed  nymph, 

From  rocky  urn  ccerulean,  teems  her  tide ; 

Hydaspes ;  branchy  Gyndes,  fabulous  floods ; 

Orontes,  on  whose  slopes  the  wine  of  gold 

In  ripening  globules  glows,  whereof,  at  eve, 

Roused  from  his  stony  solitude  of  walls 

By  turbaned  traveller  with  his  camel  train, 

Not  seldom  sips  the  hospitable  monk, 

His  cup  commending  to  the  bearded  lip 

Of  smiling  stranger,  garrulous  in  signs ; 

And  that  sabbatic  river,  which  to  flow 

The  seventh  day  ceaseth  piously ;  these  all 

And  more,  innumerable,  brooklet,  beck, 

Bill,  runnel,  rivulet,  the  angels  made, 

Administrative  of  terrestrial  wealth, 

And  will  coelestial,  while  at  one  with  God ; 

And  rivers  subterrerie  booming  through  caves 

Down  to  earth's  focal  fires,  still  inextinct, 

And  flaming  floods,  whence,  dashed,  they  reascend, 

Volcanic  vapors,  and  explode  the  hills ; 

And  linn,  and  force,  and  torrent ;  Corra's  foam ; 

Thy  falls,  unfailing  Ehaiadwr ;  and  thine, 

Shoshonee,  wreathed  with  shifting  rainbow  mists ; 

And  those  of  Dekkan  Ghauts,  earth's  loftiest  leap. 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  79 

The  angels  reared  the  islands  ;  that  of  yore 

Neptunian,  where  the  sea-god  righteous  ruled, 

And  his  ten  sons,  now  sunken  in  mid-sea ; 

And  that  Panchaian,  where  Triphylian  Jove 

Judged  from  his  mountain  chair  the  sacred  soil ; 

The  starry  islet  wandering  with  the  wind, 

Pure  of  all  death;  the  birthplace  of  twin  gods ; 

For  sun  and  moon  prsesolar  light  precedes ; 

Bacchic  and  Cytherean  isles ;  those  spread 

Sporadic  or  cycladic ;  Cyprian  soil ; 

And  Rhodian,  sovereign  of  the  sacred  sea ; 

That  isle,  the  sun's,  whose  sacred  slaughtered  kine 

(When  the  bull  led  the  constellated  round 

Ere  by  the  star  of  storms,  gigantic,  smote) 

Caused  to  the  wise  world-wanderer  floods  of  woe ; 

The  winged  island,  flying  round  the  world, 

"Walled  high  with  gold-bright  crystal,  giant-kinged ; 

And  fairy  Avalon,  still  where  Arthur  rules, 

Sole  as  the  sun  in  heaven  his  shining  shrine ; 

Stern  Hertha's,  stained  with  the  sacred  blood  of  man ; 

Elysian  islands,  all-felicitous,  holy, 

Where  dwell  the  blessed  Immortals,  years  divine, 

The  elemental  sequences  of  suns, 

And  ages  everlasting  of  the  heavens ; 

And  Bolotoo,  the  paradise  of  gods, 


80  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Far  off  in  western  space,  a  land  of  shades  ; 
Where,  to  chance  wanderer,  for  the  future  bound, 
And  searching  for  some  secret  lost  to  earth, 
Tree,  temple,  tower,  and  grove-clad  hills  present 
But  permeable  forms ;  through  all  he  stalks, 
As  through  a  builded  vision ;  wall  and  bark, 
And  cliff,  close  round  the  path  he  passeth  through 
Unharmed,  as  water  round  a  diving  gull ; 
Islands  of  honey,  pearls,  and  gems,  and  fire ; 
The  isle  auriferous,  whose  minutest  rill 
Outbids  Pactolus  ;  those  which  clustering  pour 
Spices,  perfumes,  oils,  incense,  and  sweet  gums, 
For  human  delectation  or  divine ; 
Feejee  and  Papua,  men-devouring  isles ; 
Black  Hayti,  the  imperial  negro's  throne ; 
Niphon,  where,  temple- shrined,  the  golden  bull 
Butts,  first,  with  fiery  horn,  the  egg  mundane ; 
And  that  Ogygian,  westward,  where  the  sun 
Utters  his  final  smile,  and  gleams  his  last 
Through  groves  of  worship  dedicate  to  Fate ; 
And  those  white  isles  whose  pre-antiquity 
Transcends  all  date,  the  primal  seats  of  gods, 
Truth,  science,  song,  and  all  commanding  mind : 
All  these,  and  countless  more,  the  angels  made, 
While  dear  they  were  to  God  and  kind  to  earth. 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  81 

The  angels  scooped  the  lesser  seas  and  lakes ; 
Baltic,  and  Midland,  soundless ;  and  that  womb 
Of  nations,  on  whose  life-devouring  shore, 
Far  jutting  into  the  black  and  boisterous  deep, 
Sebastopolis,  key  of  empire,  stands ; 
The  pool  Moeotic,  worshipped  as  a  god 
By  Scythic  hordes,  and  Amazonian  dames, 
Militant,  jealous  of  the  dexter  breast ; 
And  Caspian,  deep  below  whose  silvery  wave 
God's  Eden  hideth,  and  the  hallowed  glebe ; 
Aral,  Van,  Baikal,  holy  lake,  most  vast 
Of  mountain  meres ;  and  Tahtar  Kokonor ; 
Ladoga  shoal,  deep  Leman ;  isleted 
Lomond,  subterraneous  of  access ; 
And  many  an  iceless  and  unfathomed  pool 
On  mountain  crest,  or  cowering  at  the  foot ; 
Ontario,  Winnebago,  and  the  Slave ; 
Yutah's ;  hard  by  where  the  polygamous  sect 
(Misled  by  one  self-unctioned,  not  anoint, 
Nor  golden  oil  of  genius  had,  nor  truth, 
Who  from  the  brook  the  lines  of  lacquered  lead, 
Sham  angel-forged,  dug  out ;  who,  after,  fell 
Shotted  with  three  times  Csesar's  trickling  wounds,  — 
Ill-doer  he,  ill  done  by)  bide  their  hour, 
Dreadless ;  the  great  Saline ;  and  Aztek,  bowered 
6 


82  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

With  floating  pleasaunces,  where  sailed  the  swans 
Of  sway  symbolic ;  Amucu,  golden-banked ; 
Or  Titicaca,  from  whose  sacred  shores, 
Long  ages  lapsed,  the  scions  of  the  sun, 
Manco  Capac  and  Mama  Oello,  stepped, 
Ancestral,  to  the  sceptre  of  Berou ; 
Nyassi ;  Ngami ;  Mrima ;  Zana,  and  that 
Lake  of  the  gods,  whence  Nile,  or  white  or  blue ; 
And  wide  Nigritian  Tschad,  still  inexplored : 
All  these,  and  countless  more,  the  angels  made, 
While  kind  they  were  to  earth,  and  dear  to  God. 

Desert  and  steppe  they  smoothed ;  the  waterless  sea 

(But  haply  once  where  tide  tempestuous  rolled) 

Of  Aphric  Zahara,  where  the  sand-wave  heaves 

'Neath  the  simoom,  parched,  poisoning  man  and  beast ; 

Kerman's  sands  salt-white,  swept  by  flamy  wind, 

Plague-breath'd,  which,  rousing  up  the  desert  dust, 

Blinds  man's  bright  eye,  and  mummifies  the  frame ; 

There  oft,  in  arid  dell,  the  cool  Suhrab, 

Calm  mockery  of  sweet  waters,  overhung 

With  green  and  succulent  shrubs  —  you  seem  to  hear 

The  ripple  of  the  waves  —  delusive  lurks ; 

Chamo  and  Kobi,  and  the  central  wastes 

Of  Austral  isle,  where  range  the  tameless  tribes 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  83 

Who  hurl  the  bomerang,  and,  hunger  spent, 
Do  mess  on  their  own  blood,  disseized  of  sense ; 
And  those  by  Baku,  where,  through  wimbled  cane, 
The  holy  flame  of  universal  fire 
Jets  from  earth's  heart,  upwards,  to  join  the  sun ; 
Saronian  downs,  and  many  a  misty  moor, 
Where  aches  the  eye  with  objectless  survey, 
And  long  dun  moss,  they  spread  prospective ;  now 
With  cromlech  crowned,  gray  cairn,  or  fairy  knoll ; 
Or  lithic  dance  of  giants  'neath  the  moon ; 
Hurlers  or  wrestlers  who  have  justly  earned 
Their  stony  transformation ;  or  some  crew, 
Godless,  that  to  the  air  of  fiendly  flute 
Footed,  contemptuous  of  sabbatic  chimes ; 
Now,  days  of  rest  millennial,  in  their  ears, 
And  voluntary  thunders,  drone  in  vain ; 
And  wold  and  wilderness,  where  nightly  flit 
The  grosser  sprites  that  haunt  these  nether  skies ; 
Unmarked,  in  day's  broad  glare,  the  moon's  moist  eye 
Reveals,  to  those  who  see,  the  filmy  form ; 
Drowned  lands  and  verdurous  meadows  submarine 
Where  water  turtles  pasture,  wandering  free. 

Plains  planned  the  Angels  then,  and  champaigns  vast, 
Savannahs,  Pampas,  prairies ;  deeming  earth 


84  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

One  garden  fit  for  gods  ;  and  seeded  them 

"With  grass  and  herb  of  every  wholesome  growth ; 

Shamrock  and  trefoil,  symbolizing  Him, 

In  lowliest  form,  who  them,  their  makers,  made  ; 

And  pulse,  and  sesamum,  and  flax,  and  vetch ; 

With  pearly  rice,  white  wheat,  and  oats  (of  old 

Gold-washed  for  the  imperial  Roman's  steed)  ; 

Majestic  maize,  and  metamorphic  rye ; 

Millet  and  lentil,  and  a  thousand  grains, 

As  many  and  as  immixed  as  Psyche  slipped 

Through  her  sad  fingers,  thrall  and  lost  to  Love. 

With  homeliest  roots  of  thyme  and  mint  and  balm 
The  breezes  they  perfumed  and  purified ; 
And  that  heart-soothing  herb,  not  less  renowned 
Than  lote,  nepenthes,  moly,  or  tolu, 
Held  to  untaint  from  sin  the  savage  soul ; 
Weed  of  the  west,  that  on  Virginian  plains, 
Or  fields  of  fair  Habana,  moon-beloved, 
Lifteth  its  long  lush  leaflets ;  youth  and  maid 
(Scion  perchance  of  some  Soudanian  chief 
By  hordes  of  woman-warriors,  slain  or  slaved), 
Tending  with  nicest  tact,  till  it  become, 
Beneath  the  toned  and  educative  hand, 
A  roll  of  natural  incense ;  weed,  that  wild, 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  85 

Climbs  prophet  Lebanon ;  and,  fragrant,  fumed 
Through  ambered  jasmine,  wiles  the  sultry  hours, 
By  plashing  fountain's  creamy  marbled  marge : 
(To  him  who  sang  man's  fall,  the  eve  of  life 
This  lightened ;  and  his  restiff  heart  assuaged, 
The  pilgrim  bard,  whose  days  these  closely  heel 
Of  ours,  who  in  the  aftermath  of  time 
Live ;  for  fame's  harvest  long  ago  was  got ;) 
Vervain  and  magic  haschisch,  which  endows 
Thought  with  ubiety,  and  waking  mind 
Clothes  with  the  dread  delight  of  dreams  ;  and  kin0, 
Soul  gifting  with  expansive  extasie  ; 
Madder  and  plants  stellate,  and  watchet  weed, 
By  rudest  fathers  used  of  the  mountain  isles, 
Three-peaked,  the  golden,  beautiful,  and  white, 
Conclusive  of  the  wisdom  of  the  west ; 
Orris  and  henna,  for  perfume  or  dye  ; 
Mandrake  and  onion  (hallowed  wisely  once, 
In  nome  Bubastean,  sacred  to  the  moon), 
Whose  coats  concentric  figured  forth  the  spheres ; 
As  though  considerate  nature,  who,  betimes, 
Man's  facial  features  casually  reveals 
In  stony  fracture  or  tree-trunk,  reframed 
In  miniature,  that  man  might  ne'er  forget, 
The  holy  image  of  the  sphere-filled  air, 


86  A   SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

And  earth,  embraced  by  heaven,  the  core  of  space. 

They  with  fair  fruit-trees  earth  an  orchard  made ; 

With  rosy  apple,  purple  fig,  sweet  pear, 

Date,  honey-pulped,  green  glowing  olive ;  peach, 

Orange,  and  citron,  with  their  gilded  rind ; 

Sun-juiced  muscat,  and  all  the  hallowed  vines ; 

Guava  and  nectarine,  mango,  plantain,  plum ; 

And  that  translucent  pome,  whose  cloudy  core, 

Seed-studded,  glows  detected,  as  it  hangs 

On  its  slim  branchlet,  vibrant  in  the  breeze ; 

The  tree  transformed  of  some  unhappy  god 

(Tale  immemorial  told  in  Tonga's  isle), 

Whose  fruit  is  vital  bread,  man's  noblest  food ; 

And  that,  lactifluous,  from  whose  flower-tipped  stem, 

High  towering,  the  Caraccan  Indian  drains, 

At  day-dawn,  creamy  draughts,  to  all  his  kin 

Dispensing,  patriarchal,  bowl  on  bowl ; 

The  vast  Baobab,  like-aged  with  ocean's  tides, 

Within  whose  cavernous  and  sepulchral  trunk 

Meet  village  senates,  lawing  peace  and  war 

To  dusky  tribes,  or,  in  its  templed  bole, 

The  idol  gods  adoring  of  the  land, 

Arboreal  fane ;  fair  thorn,  as  yet  unkinged, 

Unsanctified  by  woes  of  brow  divine, 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  87 

(We  gild  the  thorns  we  put  upon  Him  now, 
But,  ah !  they  pierce,)  whose  berries,  blood-like  red, 
Still  speak  of  holiest,  still  of  heavenly  ends  : 
While  dear  they  were  to  God  and  to  earth  kind, 
All  these,  and  countless  more,  the  angels  made ; 
More  than  infallible  engine,  for  an  age, 
Accomptant  pauselessly,  or  clerk,  on  slate 
Or  abacus  ten-stringed,  could  sum. 

With  woods 

And  treeful  tracts  the  provident  angels  clad 
What  else  were  lifeless  deserts ;  where  now  stretch 
Forest  and  upland  frith,  and  the  wide  weald 
Hercynian,  where  the  demon  shadow  stalks ; 
And  the  Anderidan  boscage,  by  divine 
Andate,  all- victorious  goddess,  held ; 
And  glades,  where,  rambling,  in  long  after  years, 
The  outlawed  archer  led  his  banded  bows  ; 
Siberian  forestage  of  spiry  pine ; 
Oaks,  which  oracular  in  Dodona  spake ; 
And  equatorial  groves  that  mat  the  shores 
Of  Maracaybo,  to  Maragnon's  streams, 
And  falls  of  Tequendama ;  (these  were  rent 
Ere  yet  the  moon  rode  aery ;)  the  hoar  woods 
Of  growth  eternal,  continental  reach, 
That  all  enclose,  from  gold-rocked  Labrador, 


88  A   SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

To  florid  lands  that  seas  Columbian  lave ; 

From  ocean's  gilded  sands,  by  Kalamath, 

To  silvery  Zazaticas  and  Secklong ; 

Banyan,  and  temple  cedar ;  gopher,  planned 

Ark-wise  of  God  to  float  man  o'er  the  flood ; 

Laden  with  life,  hope  of  the  world  to  be ; 

With  treasures  vaster  than  that  bark,  whose  freight, 

(Spoils  of  the  sack  of  Rome  —  tyrannic  queen, 

Of  bonded  nations  ravished  —  the  gilded  roof 

Of  Jove's  high  capitol,  the  seven-starred  lamp 

And  golden  table  of  God's  temple,  won 

By  Vandal,  king  self-crowned  of  earth  and  sea 

And  their  affiliate  isles,)  storm-sunk,  but  served 

With  ivory  thrones  and  busts  marmoreal,  gems, 

And  jewelled  caskets,  armlets,  torques,  and  rings 

And  carquanets  impearled,  and  coffered  coin 

Of  conquered  states,  to  startle  or  adorn 

Sicilian  sea-nymphs  in  their  billowy  play ; 

Cypress,  the  leafy  mourning  nature  wears, 

Dear  to  the  dead  and  to  the  field  of  God, 

Where  lurks,  in  spade-turned  furrow,  seed  death-sown, 

Divine  seed,  to  be  harvested  in  heaven ; 

The  poplar  native  to  the  land  of  shades ; 

Myrtle  and  ebony ;  dragon-blooded  tree, 

Coaeval  with  the  stars  ;  sun-hallowed  palm ; 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  89 

Sweet-scented  sandal,  spared  for  sacred  rites ; 
Walnut  and  chestnut,  beech,  and  ash,  and  elm ; 
Wych-hazel,  for  divining  treasures  used ; 
And  ruddy  rowan,  proof  'gainst  blackest  spell, 
And  ghastly  charms  of  witches,  air-elate  ; 
And  that  which,  like  the  skies,  tree  sad  by  day, 
Buds  forth  at  eve  its  starry  blossoms,  bright 
And  odorous,  but  in  sunlight  bloomless  mourns ; 
And  that  beneficent  stem,  in  islands  grown 
Named  Fortunate  of  old,  whose  top,  with  clouds 
Nightly  encompassed,  soon  as  morning  beams, 
From  leaf  and  ramage  sheddeth  cool  bright  showers, 
Freshening  the  fountless  soil ;  matron  and  maid, 
God  thanking  for  his  daily  gift  with  joy, 
Brim  high  their  globular  gourds  from  every  bough ; 
And  that  once  common  to  the  world,  but  since 
To  one  main  isle  confined,  wayfarer's  tree, 
Within  whose  veins  condensed  the  essential  dew 
Flows  fontal ;  while  its  flowerets,  purely  white, 
Lamplike,  allure  the  wanderer  to  the  wood, 
Where  he  may  shade  his  limbs,  and  his  lips  lave ; 
That  tree  all  fruitful,  first  and  best  of  things, 
(Such  by  Damaras  deemed ;  naked  and  black 
Their  bodies  like  to  their  benighted  minds,) 
From  whose  umbrageous  branchery  human  fruit, 


90  A   SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Fruit  holy,  fruit  immortal,  fruit  divine, 
In  sacred  ripeness  dropped ;  or  that,  mayhap, 
Whence,  chipped  by  giant  woodman,  man,  brute,  bird, 
Fell,  flew,  or,  merged  in  water,  swam  as  fish ; 
So  fable  Arctic  folk,  tribes  sparse  and  spare, 
Whose  crooked  crones,  in  glittering  huts  of  ice, 
(When  the  vivific  sun,  world  conqueror  he, 
Closing  in  peace  his  serpentine  career, 
Quenches  in  snow  his  thunder,)  to  their  youth, 
Sharpening  the  bone-tipped  javelin  for  the  morse, 
Quaint  legends  gabble  of  their  primal  eld. 

With  arborescent  canes  and  ferns  they  decked 

Marish  and  mead :  and  sands  and  hills,  else  bare, 

With  shrubs  gum-pithed,  gum  oozing ;  such  were  myrrh, 

Camphire,  and  cassia,  spikenard,  balsam,  clove ; 

(Angels  and  all  good  spirits  love  perfumes ;) 

With  many  an  odorous  plant,  both  hill  and  vale ; 

Angelica,  and  honeyed  melilot ; 

Day's-eye  and  king-cup ;  fairy  foxglove,  fern  ; 

And  violet,  crown  of  the  sad  Lesbian  muse ; 

Crocus,  pale  purple  or  golden ;  hyacinth, 

Skirting  with  azure  haze  the  foot  of  woods ; 

Asphodel  and  narcissus,  Hadean  blooms ; 

And  gore-dyed  poppy,  dedicate  to  death ; 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  91 

Moonwort ;  sweet  meadow  queen ;  and  silver-weed ; 

Tulipa,  dahlia,  sunflower,  aster,  rose, 

Damask  and  white,  of  holiest  silence  sign, 

Of  love  divine,  love  perfect,  love  aaterne ; 

The  fragrant  tuberose  scintillating  light ; 

Dianthus,  flower  of  God ;  and,  loved  of  woods, 

The  wind-flower,  blooming  faithful  to  one  day, 

As  Damon  to  his  friend ;  the  iris,  eye 

Of  heaven ;  eyebright ;  and  winter's  flowers  of  gold ; 

The  lotus,  emblem  of  the  sacred  birth 

Of  all  from  water,  pure  as  spirit  seed, 

Snow-blanched,  or  blue ;  dew  of  the  sea ;  and  those, 

The  mistress,  and  the  glory  of  the  night ; 

The  flame-flower,  glowing  like  to  carbuncle ; 

Kamschatka's  scarlet  lily,  foodful  root ; 

Nile  born  papyr,  and  serpent-creeping  flower ; 

Sumatra's  floral  miracle,  the  font 

And  baptistry  of  flowers ;  the  tea-rose  pale, 

In  central  flowery  realm  of  brightness  born ; 

Magnolia ;  and  tall  Yucca's  bell-crowned  mast ; 

Bogota's  regal  lily,  whose  broad  and  raftered  leaves 

In  some  calm  creek  expatiate,  wood  enzoned ; 

And  that  night-blooming  marvel  which,  when  all 

Its  flowery  kindred,  dew-drowned,  sleep,  spreads  forth 

Its  radiant  cup.,  and  like  a  midnight  sun 


»Z  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Illumes  the  green  gloom,  and  perfumes  the  dark : 
The  watery  knot-glass,  with  the  blood  divine 
Sprinkled,  that  grew  beneath  Christ's  hallowed  rood  ; 
Innumerous,  the  bright  blooms  whose  fragrant  speech 
Befitting  comeliest  love,  the  orient  brides 
Wreathe  into  poesies,  the  angels  wrought, 
While  dear  to  God  (ere  eyes  divine  yet  shed 
Immortal  tears,  as  the  amber  droplets  wept 
By  daughters  of  the  sun)  and  kind  to  earth. 

The  angels  then  with  founts  the  park  mundane 

(From  Athabascan  cape,  mornwards,  to  where 

Miako's  gilded  god,  colossal,  sits ; 

From  Anadyrsk  to  Patagonian  point) 

Graced  ;  cool  and  tepid ;  these  perennial,  those 

But  intermittent ;  founts  that  torches  fire ; 

Founts,  that,  presageful  of  the  tempest,  howl ; 

That  ebb  and  flow  contrarious  to  the  main ; 

Or  synchronous  ;  deep  springs  of  bubbling  brine 

Inland ;  sweet  waters  'neath  the  sea ;  and  that 

Far  scalding,  still  self-petrifactive  fount, 

Whose  separate  wavelets  hardening,  stone  by  stone, 

Yield  mansions  to  the  builders  on  its  banks ; 

Founts  scorching,  founts  petrific,  founts  of  flame, 

Ice-cold  to  touch  ;  founts  honey  sweet ;  the  rill 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  93 

Which,  sanguine,  staineth  gules  the  bordering  flowers ; 

Fountains  of  ageless  youth  and  maidenhood ; 

Fountains  of  love  and  of  disdain ;  and  that 

Which  Kai  Khosrou,  forewarned  in  sleep,  beheld, 

(Oracular  vision,)  and,  far  journeying,  found 

At  last,  but,  therein  bathing,  disappeared ; 

The  burning  springs  that  o'er  the  Caspian's  face 

Fear-shrunk,  afar  their  fiery  furrows  drive ; 

The  serpent  source  that  hisses  as  it  flows, 

Whose  venemous  wave  all  life  instinctive  shuns, 

One  breed  alone,  connatural,  thence  exempt ; 

All  these  and  countless  more  the  heavenly  tribes, 

Whose  names  are  noted  in  coelestial  tongues, 

Bade  forth  by  the  divining  wand  of  will ; 

All  wells  on  earth,  save  thine,  divine  Zemzem, 

Through  starry  strata  strained,  and  musky  loam 

Of  paradise  ;  (there  moon-browed  maids  of  light, 

Immortal,  dwell,  and  from  the  lakes  of  bliss 

Their  star-cups  fill ;)  —  thou  afterwards  wast  born. 

Unfathomable  caves  and  moss-green  grots, 
For  mysteries  or  retreat,  the  angels  made ; 
For  vision  and  prevision  ;  travelled  trance 
Of  spirit,  through  celestial  circles  borne 
Prophetic ;  those  of  Patmos,  Paros'  isles ; 


94  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Abdera ;  or  the  Arab's  desert  cell ; 
The  cave  Iberian,  where  Tubal  abode, 
Which  great  Alcides,  after,  amplified ; 
For  magic  rites  and  secrets  darkly  famed, 
Phantoms,  and  necromantic  wonders  ;  wealth 
Untold,  unhallowed  ;  death  to  all  who  sought ; 
The  vaults  Tartarian  where  the  Titans  groaned ; 
And  those  where  still  the  rebel  angels  hang, 
Heel  skywards,  in  hell's  antechambers,  chained  ; 
Nyont's  JEolian  arch  whence  gush  the  winds 
Incessant,  sighs  chaotic ;  and  those  caves, 
High  pitched,  in  Erin's  isle,  or  Anglian  peak, 
With  floors  prismatic,  purple  crystalled  walls, 
O'er-roofed  with  sparkling  spires  and  pendent  stars. 

Metal  and  mineral  then  the  angels  wrought. 
Gold,  silver,  copper,  iron,  and  all  ores  ; 
Marbles  ;  and  gems,  of  virtues  potent  signs  ; 
The  crystal,  prevalent  over  gods,  and  hid 
Close  in  the  hand,  assuring  heavenly  help  ; 
The  achate,  wealth  abductive,  and  the  mind 
Of  the  immortals  gladdening,  maiden's  love 
Winning,  man's  friendship ;  jasper,  to  the  gods 
Delightsome,  and  potential  bliss  to  earn ; 
The  topaz,  aidant  in  all  holy  rites, 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  95 

Prayer  favoring ;  opal,  dear  to  deities, 

Prophetic  and  heroic ;  magnet  chaste, 

Of  all-persuasive  effluence,  speechless  power ; 

The  crimsoned  coral,  emblem  of  the  soul, 

Reared  in  life's  stormy  deeps,  the  deeps  of  death, 

From  mischief  fending  and  hate's  fatal  glance ; 

Sunstone,  which  every  phantom  foul  dispels ; 

Oracular  starstone,  warning  weal  or  ill ; 

And  bloodstone,  symbolling  earth,  the  gates  of  God's 

-^Eternal  temple,  with  the  life  divine 

Sprinkled,  prognostic  dread ;  the  diamond,  sweet 

And  grateful  to  the  gracious  spirit  throng ; 

The  starry  sapphire  of  celestial  blue ; 

Ruby  and  emerald,  jacynth,  amethyst ; 

The  amber,  emblem  of  divinity, 

Which  with  electric  influence  soul  allures ; 

The  pearl  conceived  of  dew  and  lightning,  type 

Of  that  pure  maid-birth  yet  to  bless  the  world : 

Yea,  cups  of  pearl,  one  pure  and  solid  pearl, 

Greater  than  that  in  Haleb's  slab  ingrained, 

With  natural  nimbus  (so  pre-figuring 

The  glory  round  earth's  kingliest  blood)  enringed, 

Divinest  relic  in  time's  temple  niched  ; 

And  that  smaragdine  mirror  (their  cliief  toy 

Which  all  the  angels  wrought,  each  gifting  it 


96  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

With  some  unique  perfection)  after  owned 

By  Israel's  wisest,  who  the  tongues  of  bird, 

Brute,  angel,  men,  knew  ;  the  king  looked  therein, 

And  eyed  the  passed,  of  any  wished-for  age, 

Apparent  as  in  life ;  event,  or  fact ; 

And  when  solicitous  of  the  future,  he, 

Steering  by  somewhat  steadier  than  the  stars, 

Had  breathed  thereon,  with  the  evanishing  reek 

From  off  its  disk,  he  all  the  coming  conned 

Limned  in  that  talismanic  tablet  clear. 

Gems  larger,  lovelier  these  than  all  now  known ; 

Richer  than  those  twin  rubies,  called  Cancques, 

By  kings  of  Auphir,  kings  of  heaven  and  earth 

Self-titled,  oft  in  angry  blood-bath  dyed ; 

Or  those  that  on  the  seven  great  gods  illume 

The  hall  of  gold  in  royal  Arakhain ; 

Whose  heads  with  diamonds,  breasts  with  rubies  flame, 

With  sapphires,  emeralds,  pearls,  their  limbs  and  feet, 

And  regal  robes,  rigid  with  woven  gold ; 

Brighter  than  those  the  eastern  soldan's  throne 

Pavonian  star ;  victorious  Britain's  now ; 

Than  those  bright  armlets,  adamantine  pair, 

The  sea  of  light,  and  mountain,  (now  from  sea 

Far  severed,)  seals  and  signs  sublime  of  power 

O'er  west  and  east ;  more  tempting  to  the  touch 


A    SPIRITUAL   LEGEND.  97 

Than  all  encrusting  false  Fenella's  fruit, 

With  deadly  art  contrived ;  or  those  by  Rhine, 

Shrined  round  the  heads  embalmed  of  sainted  kings  ; 

Finer,  in  fine,  than  all  that  now  adoni 

Earth's  circular  board,  (the  table  once  of  gods, 

And  whirled  by  angels  through  the  void  inane,) 

Set  deep,  or  surface  strewn,  they  scattered  wide, 

From  Hungria,  to  Golcond  and  isles  Molucques, 

And  nightwards,  to  Brasil ;  from  central  Koosh, 

Kumara;  and  the  emerald  mount,  by  Nile, 

To  Ceylon  and  Altai ;  soft,  pure  gold 

And  silver,  from  Potosi  to  Yeutaw, 

The  angels  sowed  the  beds  of  rivers  with, 

And  serpentine  and  granite  deep  ingrained ; 

For  boon  they  were  to  earth,  and  blessed  of  God. 

Then,  last  of  all,  the  animal  world  they  framed, 
Each  life-infusing  angel,  tribe  on  tribe, 
Higher  and  lower  so  with  mediates  linked 
And  interlapped,  that  all  on  all  might  pend 
In  mutual  sustentation. 

First  they  filled 

The  seas  with  fishy  natures,  which  assumed 
Later,  Vishnoo,  and  mixed  Cannes  claimed 
And  glorified  in  memory  of  the  first 
7 


98  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Great  form  of  life,  anticipative,  perchance, 

Unconscious,  of  that  newer  birth  so  typed, 

By  signs  Phrenician  of  divinest  names ; 

Shark ;  dolphin,  lover  of  the  lyre,  for  more 

Than  one  sublime  adventure  starred  ;  vast  whale, 

The  ocean  beast,  whose  jaws,  like  hell's  gates,  once 

Yawned  to  ingulph  the  recreant  prophet,  cast 

By  crew  fore-fated  in  the  ravening  deep  ; 

Ketus,  and  ork,  and  kraken ;  remora,  apt  — 

Blow  wind,  flow  tide  —  a  ship  to  check,  full  sail ; 

Seahorse  and  seal,  old  ocean's  flocks  humane ; 

Sword-fish  and  saw-fish,  sun-fish,  ling  and  ray  ; 

All  that  by  coast  or  firth  in  endless  shoals 

Or  van,  or  rear,  heave  shorewards,  or  the  depths 

Who,  lonelier,  haunt,  and  deathful ;  all  who  through 

The  weedy  streets  and  gilded  chambers  glide, 

Of  submerged  cities,  scornfully  content, 

Nor  wink  their  cold  white  eye ;  thro'  marble  grove 

And  coral  copse  they  fan  their  wavy  way ; 

Dorado,  shimmering  with  all  brilliant  tints  ; 

The  winged  swimmer  of  the  deeps,  and  all 

That  flout  the  whirlpool,  down  whose  swirling  maw, 

Voracious  of  all  life,  the  shrieking  ship 

Plungeth  (as  into  a  net  baited  with  light, 

Bats)  ;  and  dread  Maelstrom,  navel  of  the  main ; 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  99 

Dace,  barbel,  pike,  and  every  fluvial  fin. 

Terraqueous  embouchures  with  lizards  lank, 
Gluttonous,  hide-winged,  with  horn-lidded  eyes 
And  murderous  hearts  they  filled,  devouring  death ; 
Monstrous  and  loathly  reptiles,  such  as  him 
Apollo  slew,  Kadmus,  or  JEson's  son, 
Or  Jove-born  demigod,  or  sainted  knight, 
Or  Perseus,  on  the  shore  by  Joppa ;  not  now 
To  man  known,  save  as  serpent  of  the  sea, 
Eldritch,  huge,  (ocean-churn er  called  in  Ind, 
In  Norland,  Jormundgandr,)  whose  hoar  mane 
And  visage  sadly  human,  reared  mast-high, 
Appalls  the  dumb-struck  mariner,  as  he  nears 
At  gloaming  the  blue  headland ;  those  ashore 
Weening  they  glimpse  some  Pharos,  by  its  eyes  ; 
The  terror  of  the  weald,  with  spiky  spine ; 
Cayman,  and  alligator,  crocodile, 
Emblem  of  mystic  silence  and  of  God 
(For  ever  blessed  and  worshipped  be  His  name); 
The  fire-winged  drake  of  Greek  and  Arab  tales ; 
Boa  and  cobra,  dipsas,  and  the  snake 
By  red  men  hallowed  in  the  western  wilds, 
Which  nested  nigh  the  well  of  waters  bright, 
And  annual  multiplies  its  rattling  rings  ; 


100  A   SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Asp,  adder,  basilisk ;  and  those  the  Moor 

Wreathes  round  his  limbs,  or  in  his  bosom  curls  ; 

Vipers  that  charm  the  song-birds  to  their  death 

By  one  long  glistering  glance,  transfixed ;  or  those 

That  fascinative  seek  the  tender  breasts 

Of  wilful  maids,  and  sing  their  souls  to  sleep  ; 

Or  such  as  him,  less  rare  in  years  of  yore, 

Who,  by  Bagradas,  memorable  worm, 

Rome's  host  braved  singly,  singly  suffered  siege, 

Waged  war,  till,  by  arblast  and  catapult, 

And  burning  darts,  self-firing  as  they  flew, 

Quelled,  he  at  last  capitulates  with  Death ; 

His  shining  slough  to  swell  the  conqueror's  pomp. 

The  air  with  birds  they  flocked;  oracular  dove, 

Thrice  holy  in  tradition  from  the  egg, 

Hid  by  Aturian  turtle,  and  the  flood, 

To  Jordan's  sacred  streamlet ;  raven  false ; 

Night's  song  bird,  lover  of  the  moon  ;  the  lark 

Blithe  trilling  in  the  blue,  when  spring's  warm  breeze 

And  pearly  flowers,  and  brooklets  bubbling  clear, 

And  innocent  sun,  welcome  the  new-born  lamb ; 

The  vulture,  all  maternal,  typing  thus 

Earth,  mountain  crowned,  the  glory  of  the  sea, 

And  mother  of  us  all ;  thee,  bright-eyed  hawk  ! 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  l61 

Soul-emblem,  sunwards  soaring,  as  to  God 
(Adored  and  honored  ever  be  His  name)  ; 
The  eye-plumed  bird,  King  Taous,  who,  so  starred, 
God's  garden  entered,  but  crawled  out,  a  snake ; 
By  winning  lost ;  wise-sighted  owl ;  and  swan 
(Sire,  by  the  light,  of  Heaven's  twin  orbs,  mis-told) 
And  sacred  stork,  thought  human  soul  disguised ; 
Ibis,  destroyer  of  sin's  viperous  brood ; 
And  flamy  heron  ;  halcyon  heavenly  blue ; 
Lone  contur,  nighest  to  the  star  of  day 
Ranging,  of  winged  life ;  the  painful  pelican 
Self-sacrificial ;  cormorant ;  doomed  dodo ; 
Giant-paced  mooa ;  ostrich,  feathery  steed ; 
Bright  humming-bird  of  gem-like  plumeletage, 
By  western  Indians  living  sunbeam  named ; 
Macaw ;  and  gold-green  parrot,  human-tongued, 
For  craft  and  wit  predictive  famed  of  yore ; 
Auk,  albatross,  and  storm-birds  of  the  deep ; 
And  bittern  moaning  by  the  lonely  mere ; 
Yea,  every  flying  thing  that  wings  the  winds, 
The  rivers  of  the  air,  with  spirit-like 
Ubiquity  in  non-essential  space, 
The  heavenly  framers  shaped  and  beautified, 
For  omen,  augury,  and  song  divine ; 
And  paradisal  fowl,  bright  bird  of  God, 


102  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Sole  life  unfiled  of  earth,  or  versed  in  aught 
Less  pure  than  air. 

Air,  too,  with  the  insect  race  — 
Gold-bees  that  boom  in  lilied  palaces 
Whose  walls  breathe  odors ;  sphinges  of  the  eve ; 
Moths ;  flutter-flies,  all  hued,  like  winged  flowers, 
On  violets  pasturing,  their  congenerate  food ; 
And  flies,  which  once  gave  title  to  that  God 
Alike  mysterious  in  life's  least  of  forms, 
And  greatest ;  locust ;  and  the  lamping  tribes, 
That  light  belated  wanderer  on  his  way  — 
The  angels  plenished. 

With  beasts  four-footed,  earth ; 
Mammoth  and  mastodon  and  deinother 
(Vast  as  leviathan  or  serimnar, 
In  vain  demolished,  —  on  the  morrow,  whole)  ; 
Dreadest  of  brutes,  whose  teeth  as  tombstones  showed, 
Limbed  like  an  oak ;  but  all  swept  off  by  Heaven, 
Creation  at  the  flood  revising ;  huge 
Aurochs ;  and  megatherium  ;  elk  enorme, 
Whose  antlers  spread  like  oarsman's  oars  well  plied ; 
These,  dying,  deigned  not  fall,  but  bade  their  tombs 
Close  o'er  them,  an'  they  would ;  such  sepulture 
(By  glacial  Lena,  or  Nerbuddah's  banks, 
Or  Mississippian  swamps  in  earth  remote) 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  10& 

Had  they,  erect,  and  osseous  monument ; 

Yak,  bison,  ounce,  and  elephant,  sagest  beast ; 

Camel,  and  llama,  costliest  sacrifice 

Of  conquering  Araucanian,  who  the  world's 

Essential  spirit  worships,  and  on  whose  shores 

The  mount  of  thunder,  buoyant  o'er  the  flood, 

Paused,  in  its  world-wide  wanderings ;  beaver  wise ; 

Bear  honey-tongued,  or,  prowling  round  the  pole, 

Lord  of  the  land  of  snow  and  towers  of  ice, 

Where  many  a  night  of  months  the  auroral  arch 

Broods  o'er  lost  graves ;  and  fox  of  fabled  fame ; 

Chaste  unicorn,  whose  generation  's  known ; 

And  stag,  in  saintliest  legends  sanctified ; 

Fleet-footed  horse ;  and  noble-hearted  hound, 

Faithful  to  man  as  to  the  wine-god,  he 

Dog  of  the  sun,  in  tropic  travel  tried, 

Now  basking  by  the  solar  hearth ;  or  hers, 

Coelestial  huntress,  Dian's  dogs  divine 

Led  in  their  leash  of  light ;  or  he  who  guards 

Orion's  spacious  steps ;  or  good  Dherreem, 

Sung  by  Beyaussa,  in  the  mighty  war 

Of  Kouroo  and  Pandoo ;  four-footed  friend 

Of  righteous  rajah ;  he  (that  kingly  kin 

All  vanished  into  bliss,  and  deified), 

Left  lone  at  last,  shook  off  the  shape  canine, 


104  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

And  shone  heaven's  primal  virtue,  peer  of  gods ; 
Goat,  gladly  blazoned  on  Jove's  sun-bossed  shield, 
Adored  as  Pan,  or  Mendes,  but  in  name 
Ashiina  highliest  honored ;  zebra  barred ; 
Tiger ;  lithe  leopard ;  puma  leonine  ; 
And  he  whose  tufted  horns  tree-tops  o'erpeep ; 
Rhinoceros  ;  river-horse  ;  ghor ;  agile  ape  ; 
Baboon,  too  manlike,  hutted  in  the  woods, 
Social,  erect,  club-armed,  soul  wanting  sole  ; 
Grim-tusked  boar,  of  evil  choicest  type 
Whom  ancient  myths  in  the  heavenly  north  instarred 
Feigning  the  summer  sun  to  have  o'erpowered, 
And  urged  to  death  solstitial ;  earth,  meanwhile, 
The  beauty  of  all  beauties,  who  emerged 
From  water  first  in  shelly  car,  wept  showers 
And  turbid  streams  till  thy  joy-hailed  return, 
0  light  of  lights  ;  and  trebly  sphered  reign. 
All  these  and  myriads  more  the  angels  made, 
Lords  of  the  desert's  savage  sands  that  drink 
Warm  reeking  blood,  or  browse  or  graze  the  mead  ; 
While  yet  they  loved  the  earth  and  wrought  for  God 
(Holy  and  honored  alway  be  His  name, 
Sole,  seviternal,  universal  cause)  ; 
But,   ah !  too  soon   they  changed ;  and  changed  was 
all. 


A   SPIRITUAL   LEGEND.  105 

Thus  made  that  host  the  world  of  sentient  life, 
With  fittest  forms  peopling  the  elements  ; 
But  eagle  and  ox  and  lion,  these  alone 
And  one  still  nobler  make,  cherubic  shapes, 
Were  of  Himself  devised  by  heaven's  supreme ; 
Monarchal  in  their  nature  o'er  all  else. 

With  one  surpassing  instance  all  to  sum 

Resolved  the  demiurgic  host,  and  sued, 

Once  more  to  that  high  end,  God's  promised  aid. 

The  angels  therefore  by  His  will  made  man ; 

His  upper  limbs  these  framed,  his  lower  those,  . 

The  chain  columnal  and  the  vital  light, 

Informing  nebulous  the  limbs,  which  still, 

Death  after,  lives  in  ghostliest  symmetry, 

Or  fills  the  accustomed  place  ;  others,  the  flower 

And  constellated  organs  of  man's  brain, 

Which  do  the  interior  tree  of  life  o'ersphere ; 

Its  nervous  roots  and  branching  arteries ; 

Both  male  and  feminine,  whose  harmonious  forms, 

Conceived  accordant  with  divinest  mould, 

He  hallowed  with  His  eye,  and  perfected 

With  holy  approbation  ;  to  the  life 

Instinct  wherewith  they  lived  and  felt  and  moved, 

And  all  the  twin-born  passions  of  man's  heart,  — 


106  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

That  variable  orb,  now  great  with  love, 

And  hope,  now  murk  and  mean  with  slavish  fear,  — 

Adding  His  gift,  a  reasonable  soul, 

Whereby  the  good  from  ill  they  might  secern, 

And  spiritual  from  intellectual  aims. 

These  souls  Himself  created,  for  all  time, 

And  in  the  stars  reserved,  until  their  day  ; 

To  each  allotting  its  appropriate  orb, 

Bard,  warrior,  sage,  king,  merchant,  priest,  or  slave. 

As  a  free  gift  and  guerdon  for  their  zeal, 

God  (ever  honored  and  revered  be  His 

Name)  to  the  formative  angels  gave  the  world 

They  had  wrought  out  of  darkness,  and  adorned 

With  every  living  miracle ;  and  man, 

As  head  and  end  of  all  its  dignities, 

In  delegated  royalty  to  rule. 

Thus  earth,  embraced  of  heaven,  and  core  of  space, 

Was  plenished,  furnished,  finished ;  and  that  all 

Both  reasons  and  results  of  things  might  see 

Of  those  creative,  arbitrative  now, 

High  in  the  unconditioned  infinite, 

God  set  the  crowned  and  dominant  laws  of  life, 

In  everlasting  senate  there  to  wield 

The  jurisdiction  of  the  universe ; 


A   SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  107 

Impersonate  yet  abstract ;  and  from  the  first, 
Fixed  in  the  super-solar  skies,  to  all 
Existence  as  exemplars ;  —  being,  cause, 
Substance,  size,  quality,  action,  passion,  mode, 
Form,  order,  change  and  harmony  and  rest ; 
Duration,  timeous  and  aeterne,  and  space : 
Motion,  development,  vital  energy ; 
Will,  intellect,  perception,  various  sense ; 
The  bounded  and  the  infinite.     Progress,  there, 
Majestic  compensation,  royal  right, 
Affection,  instinct,  reason,  virtue,  bliss ; 
Tall-sceptred  law,  and  loin-girt  liberty ; 
For  as  defect  is,  so  is  freedom  ;  fate ; 
Perfection  pure  and  death-enduring  life ; 
The  purgatorial  strife,  love-closed ;  the  war 
Whose  end  is  Heaven's  inviolable  peace ; 
All  summed,  self-seen  and  sanctified,  in  soul, 
Whose  union  with  the  unity  divine 
Creator  and  created  conciliates, 
Concluding  all  things  in  its  boundless  curve. 
Night,  Nature's  rule,  and  great  exception,  light, 
Prone  gravity,  and  vast  inertia  grown 
One  with  her  seat ;  attraction,  with  the  smile 
Fadeless ;  repulse,  death-destined  ;  ill  and  good, 
Arch-gerents  of  God's  throne,  surrounded  all. 


108  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

While  close  below  the  throne  bright  Nature,  there, 

Perpetual  maid,  perpetual  mother-bride, 

Sits,  gladdening  in  her  splendid  offspring  spread 

Through  starry  space,  indigenous  to  heaven ; 

Of  seed  divine,  blest  heirs  of  deity. 

Angels  and  spirit  hosts  of  human  strain, 

Bright  levies  of  the  light,  in  myriads  massed, 

All  sate  in  silent  service,  till  one  soul, 

Tuneful  and  luminous  as  a  singing  star, 

Stepped  into  light,  and  in  the  immarbled  ear 

Of  the  convergent  infinite,  sang  of  God 

Larklike  his  lone  lay.     Then  a  choir  the  same 

In  stately  revolution  traced,  truth-taught, 

Of  power  project  through  all  effluxive  spheres, 

To  the  celestial  refuse  of  this  orb, 

In  a  perduring  emblem  all  the  heavens 

Still  study  with  their  centre-searching  eyes. 

For  in  the  great  progression  of  the  whole, 

An  ever  falling  fall  and  rising  rise, 

Of  men  and  angels,  takes  perpetual  place, 

Up  even  unto  the  pre-seraphic  thrones  ; 

For  the  foundations  of  the  abysmal  world 

Are  laid  in  imperfection,  and  the  all 

The  purifying  pain  of  fire  divine 

Must  pass  through,  in  its  holy  reascent 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  109 

To  the  supreme  perfection  of  pure  cause. 
For  the  time  was  when  God  was  God  alone 
And  nothing  but  God  was.     He  then  withdrew 
A  portion  of  His  essence,  in  that  space, 
Girt  by  the  infinite,  the  world  became  ; 
Contrast  with  its  creator,  but  a  point ; 
A  point  ideal  child  of  nothingness. 

These  things  in  vision  God  the  angels  showed  ; 

Whereat  they  trembled  and  were  troubled  ;  still 

Earthwards  rewinging  with  prospective  pride, 

They  meditated  pure  delights,  and  reigned 

In  thought  triumphant,  independent  gods. 

The   angels,   thus,   launched   each    on    his    own   wild 

will, 

Apportioned  all  among  them,  'stablishing 
In  various  countries  variant  roots  of  men, 
Giants  and  dwarves  and  ^Ethiop  manikins, 
And  pygmies ;  (these  the  tall  indignant  cranes, 
Angered  by  broken  treaties,  drove  and  drowned 
In  sea-pools ;  first  of  victories  marine  :) 
And  those  in  just  majestic  medium  made ; 
All  somewhat  diverse ;  all  assemblant  still ; 
Whence  ray  the  lines  and  brotherhoods  of  man : 
The  sea-born  seed,  too,  earth-born,  mountain-born, 


110  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Titans  and  Cyclops,  Gog  and  Magog,  sons 

So  called  of  gods,  Corineus,  Corcoran, 

And  those,  Hrimthursar  hight,  who  norwards  held 

Frore  Jotunheim,  contemning  gods  and  men ; 

The  Anakim  and  ^Emim  of  old  writ, 

And  Og  the  king's  sires,  of  Talmudic  fame  ; 

And  those  in  sundry  lands  and  legends  known, 

Whom  Herakles  or  liustam,  or  Antar, 

The  sainted  seven,  or  prince  of  Frank  romance, 

By  Dhami,  or  Durlindana,  deathful  brands, 

Reft  of  their  slaughterous  souls  and  hurled  to  hell ; 

Or  those  who  from  lerne  through  deep  sea, 

By  long  basaltic  jetty,  and  pillared  pier, 

Whose  columns,  capped  with  crystal,  thick  as  canes 

In  Javan  jungle,  stand,  sought  sure  access 

To  Albyn's  kingly  clans,  and  fate-stoned  throne ; 

Or  those,  who  in  Loegria,  or  the  Lionnese 

(Inundate  now  for  ever),  or  on  shores 

Armoric,  in  chivalric  volumes  sung, 

In  towers  of  brass  abode,  or  burnished  steel, 

That  all  the  region  round  illumed,  with  throng 

Of  damsels  dungeoned,  and  brave  knights  unhorsed, 

Fire-breathing  dragons  guardians  of  their  gates ; 

But  all,  in  fine,  by  some  proud  paladin 

Of  table  round,  or  peer  imperial,  quelled. 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  Ill 

Especial  spots  choosing  for  pristine  tribes, 

They  sank  the  sites  of  cities ;  after  reared, 

By  such  portentous  architects  as  built 

Louqsor,  Medina  Thabou,  all  that  rests 

Of  hundred-palaced  Thebes  ;  the  columned  maze 

Of  either  Karnak,  Gallic,  or  of  Kham ; 

And  that  once  built,  men  say,  in  Arab  wilds, 

By  great  Shedad,  city  occult,  whose  walls 

Towered  in  alternate  tiers  of  silver  and  of  gold ; 

Where  bright  Herat,  city  of  roses,  lights 

With  dome  and  minaret  the  landskip  green ; 

Damasek  old,  old  Byblos,  or  Babel; 

Or  Tchelminar;  or  Baalbek;  or  where  Balkh, 

Mother  of  cities,  murally  encrowned, 

Mourns ;  or  Thibetian  L'hassa,  templed  seat 

Of  an  incarnate  Deity,  where  still 

Mix  Shamans  and  the  Lama's  lieges;  those 

Urging  the  stars,  these,  with  machine-made  prayers 

Their  transmigrative  god  ;  so  shaming  earth 

One  of  the  beaming  brotherhood  of  stars, 

But  all  alike  weak  in  the  ^Eternal  hand  ; 

These,  by  ccelestials  learned,  were  they  who  piled, 

Progressive  from  the  Aleutians  to  the  Basque, 

Oracular  Logan  a,nd  Main  ambre ;  these 

Who,  twixt  the  vales  of  salt  and  vulgar  gold, 


112  A   SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Not  far  from  Guadalupe's  aurifluous  stream, 

(Richer  than  rubied  Oxus,  azure-cliffed,) 

That  westward  seeks  gray  ocean's  barren  brine, 

Mysterious  domes,  in  matted  forests  hid, 

Builded ;  and  then  evanished ;  elsewhere,  those, 

Who  heaped  the  cross-famed  fire-fanes  of  Palenque, 

And  towers  so  high  she  eagles  nest  thereon ; 

Copan  and  Zapatero  and  Uwfmal ; 

Or  vast  Cholula's  terraced  pyramid ; 

Or  Subtiaba's  palaces,  the  seats, 

Cities  and  holds  of  royalties  unknown 

(More  numerous,  maybe,  than  those  named  in  song 

Of  proud  Fardusi,  Paradisal  bard)  ; 

The  unrecorded  Dynasts  of  old  days, 

Who,  in  some  holy  and  archaic  tongue, 

On  altars  graved  high  anaglyphs,  and  gave 

Divinest  meaning  to  each  natural  form ; 

Thus  did  the  immortal  angels,  while  of  man 

And  earth  forethoughtful  and  inspired  of  God 

(Exalted  be  His  name  and  glorified)  ; 

One  city,  the  dark  city  of  the  dead, 

Men  founded  for  themselves,  and  furnished  fast 

With  skeleton  foliage  of  the  tree  of  life, 

And  stony  leaves  dropped  from  the  book  of  death. 


A   SPIRITUAL   LEGEND.  113 

But  lo !  all  light  must  some  time  suffer  eclipse ; 
If  light  and  darkness  freely  coexist. 
All  power  corrupts  the  potent,  not  constrained 
By  special  grace  prevenient.     Thus  they  ceased, 
Those  once  most  virtuous  angels,  step  by  step, 
Scarcely  perceptible,  half  unconsciously, 
From  that  pure  will  and  primal  excellence 
Whereto  they  were  connate ;  seeking,  at  first, 
Their  own  names,  to  the  tribes  each  emperor'd, 
To  magnify,  and  so  become  their  gods ; 
In  lieu  of  teaching  man  the  one  supreme 
To  worship,  God ;  whom  all  alike  were  bound 
To  honor  and  adore.     Through  this  they  fell ; 
(No  longer  kind  to  man,  whate'er  to  God  ;) 
The  angels  fell,  and  drew  down  earth  with  them. 

The  fall  is  universal  in  ah1  spheres, 

For  finite  spirit,  wherever  tasked  to  keep 

The  counsels  of  divine  perfection,  fails. 

The  starry  story  of  one  primal  pair, 

Twin  pillars  to  the  portals  of  life's  fane, 

Or  free-born  deities,  free  as  stars  are  fixed, 

And  the  coelestial  serpent,  sun-conceived, 

Wants  not,  where'er  is  life ;  but  whether  graved 

On  Elohistic  columns  rent  from  rocks, 


114  A   SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

The  missals  of  millennial  patriarchs ; 

On,  palm-foil  writ,  or  purple  pulp  of  flowers, 

Illumined  with  all  literal  loveliness  ; 

Or  virgin  vellum,  rose-gilded  and  perfumed, 

Shrined  in  the  bosom  of  some  cloistered  saint, 

The  same  sad  tale  perpetually  commands 

The  astral  annals  of  the  universe. 

Nymph-haunted  stream,  and  river  deified, 
Hallowed  in  after  eld  as  from  their  hands, 
Angelic  and  creative,  risen,  vain  rites 
Received  ;  with  lamplets  studded,  and  with  wreaths 
Votive  encrowned  ;  and  consecrated  flowers ; 
While  mounds  of  worship,  sainted  by  the  sun, 
And  natural  altars,  starwise  dedicate, 
Joyed  in  high  names  of  generative  light. 
Ages  of  water,  alternate  with  fire ; 
Chaos  and  aether ;  the  invisible  heavens  ; 
Earth's  aeras,  and  the  periods  of  pure  air, 
Commemorate  were  in  terms  divinely  apt ; 
While  over  all  ranked  preexistent  speech, 
Conceptive  wisdom,  and  asternal  mind. 

But  gradually,  a  separate  interest 
Insinuate  once  betwixt  themselves  and  God, 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  115 

Among  each  other  hostile  interests  sprang, 

And  schemes  of  empire  basely  politic ; 

One  name  of  God  each  took,  or  masculine 

Or  feminine,  for  deity  hath  both, 

Begetting  and  conceiving  and  self-sprung, 

Some  title  of  divinity,  unto  which 

None  saving  God  had  right ;  that  so  they  might, 

As  substituted  lords,  the  rites  receive 

Due  to  the  alone  ^Eternal ;  and  His  name 

Blot  from  the  hearts  and  memories  of  mankind. 

Such  were  the  Lord  of  Heaven,  Baal  Semim,  whom 

Pho3nicia  worshipped,  and,  in  sequent  years, 

Those  in  the  holy  island  of  the  west, 

As  lord  of  light,  of  fate,  of  wealth,  of  power, 

Of  gifts,  of  glories ;  such  the  father  of  fire, 

Hephaistos,  or  Ifestus,  whom  by  Nile 

The  wise  ^Egyptian  honored  (he  who  reigned 

Long  ages  ere  the  cometary  earth 

The  stars  disturbed  with  presages  of  woe, 

To  Heaven's  great  family,  in  herself  to  be 

Concentrate  and  accomplished  to  the  death, 

As  in  a  fiery  whirlpool)  first  of  gods, 

Ere  yet  gave  time  one  hint  of  dawn ;  the  same 

Whom  later  Greeks  named  architect  of  heaven, 


116  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

And  in  oracular  hymns,  Orphic  and  old, 
Dictated  by  the  sun,  all-conquering  hailed  ; 
Such  was  the  lord  of  waters,  league-invoked, 
Whose  witness  was  the  everlasting  well ; 
Hormuzd  or  Ilus  such,  who  when  he  had  made 
Espendermad,  fair  tutelar  of  earth, 
Khourdad,  and  all  the  rest,  her  brethren  bright, 
The  blessed  Amschaspands,  and  lit  the  stars 
In  the  aethereal  hyaline,  himself 
JEternal  sire  of  light,  his  strength  for  that 
One  future,  final,  all  composing  strife 
Saved  'gainst  the  lord  of  evil  (he,  of  Yezd, 
Prudentially  still  worshipped),  from  the  world 
Routed  to  be,  and  thenceforth  rooted  out 
For  evermore,  with  threefold  thunder-fires ; 
Such  Zeus,  the  living  one,  the  saviour,  hight ; 
Such  ancient  Kronos  crowned  king  of  tune, 
God  of  the  golden  age,  the  heavenly  state, 
Monarch  of  space  and  all  celestial  orbs ; 
And  he  who,  grasping  loftier  title  still, 
Styled  himself  Heaven,  the  fountain  of  all  light ; 
Astarte  such,  the  star-nymph,  who  in  gloom 
Of  groves  delighted,  sacred  where  to  death 
She  might  her  Hadean  lord  at  full  beweep  ; 
Whom  Asian  tribes  Shemiram,  Mother  of  Heaven, 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  117 

And  'mong  their  mingled  gods  the  Ansarij  hailed 

Lady  of  light ;  she  moonlike  round  the  earth 

Errant,  picked  up  a  fallen  star  at  Tyre ; 

Then  o'er  the  altar  stretched  her  sceptral  cross, 

Her  pre-millennial  cross,  thrice-hallowed  sign, 

Vital,  and  elemental,  and  divine, 

And  consecrated  it; — the  Dove-queen  such, 

Who  boated  o'er  the  ocean  in  the  moon, 

And  silvered  every  billow  as  she  passed ; 

Such  Viricocha,  deity  of  the  sea, 

Adored  by  kingly  Incas,  and  the  courts 

Of  solar  virgins  blooming  ;  —  such  'mid  isles 

Hid  in  Pacific  deeps,  Moooi,  stretched 

Full  length,  gigantic  shorer  up  of  earth  ; 

High  title  his,  sustainer  of  the  world. 

But  soon  in  angel  breasts  ill  passions  bred : 
Oppression  followed  rivalry,  too  soon 
Symbols  and  signs  of  terror  were,  in  place 
Of  love,  God's  own  and  holiest  title,  ta'en ; 
And  the  divine  to  finite  passion  changed ; 
Then  first  the  primal  lamb,  the  shepherd's  joy ; 
Next,  human  victims  bled ;  and  passed  the  babe 
Through  baptism  of  blood  and  fire,  to  peace. 
Such  pre-atonement  naught ;  whilst  stormiest  wars 


118  A   SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Angel  with  angel  waged,  and  god  with  god ; 

Each  striving  most  to  broaden  his  domain  ; 

Propelling  his  adorers  to  invade, 

Root  out,  and  ruin  all  of  faith  opposed. 

The  heavens  were  rent  with  lightnings  and  the  fields 

Of  interjacent  space,  as  the  high  powers, 

Now  heated  to  malignity,  oft  closed 

In  thunderous  conflict,  till  the  fire-breathed  hills 

Grew  iced  with  fear ;  and  quaking,  earth  beneath 

Reeked  with  the  blood  of  brethren,  brethren-slain. 

The  angel  of  the  ocean-flowing  Nile, 

And  he  the  heights  of  Lebanon  who  held, 

And  he  who,  where  Hidekkel  gulfwards  darts, 

Ruled  with  an  absolute  crown,  for  ages  strove 

With  changeable  success,  and  interchanged 

Mishap,  but  each  evolving  changeless  woe ; 

So  too  the  Persian  Angel  and  the  Greek, 

Contending,  fanes  and  altars  were  defiled ; 

And  myriads  of  belligerent  worshippers, 

Through  vain  ambition  of  immortals,  slain. 

One  thing  was  common  to  all  nations ;  woe. 

Sin,  vice,  and  luxury,  with  their  flower-wreathed  rods, 

Reigned  o'er  the  reckless  nations  ;  life  on  life, 

Made,  like  that  cruel  tower  by  fair  Shirauz, 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  119 

Of  living  souls  impacted,  limed  with  blood, 
Time's  generations  mounts  of  misery. 

Not  all,  nathless,  was  blank ;  nor  blight :  to  man 

One  sweet  exemption,  by  God's  grace,  pertained ; 

One  gift  diviner  than  the  angels  gave, 

By  them  o'erlooked,  not  all  their  mutual  wrath 

Could  ruin  or  pervert ;  love,  naught  but  love ; 

Parental,  filial,  conjugal,  divine. 

Life's  armies  were  recruited  still  by  love ; 

Fond  hearts  still  grew  affection,  as  fields  corn ; 

Still  bloomed  and  fruited  with  an  inner  life, 

And  vintage  of  delight ;  still  youthful  breasts, 

Reciprocally  fired,  imparted  joy, 

Imported  rapture ;  tenderest  converse  still, 

Sweet  as  the  whisperings  of  imblossomed  trees, 

Or  the  low  lispings  of  night's  silvery  seas, 

Lived  on  the  lips  of  lovers,  then  as  now, 

By  fount  or  mead,  or  wandering,  moon-beguiled, 

'Neath  tall  white  cliffs,  along  shores  shadowless. 

But  of  all  spirits  who  mortals  most  misled, 

(0  bold,  blasphemous,  legendary  lie !) 

Head  of  the  angel  race,  prime  demiurge, 

Was  he  who  o'er  the  wandering  Hebrews  swayed, 


120  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

(What  time  from  Ninus'  wrath  and  Asshur's  land, 
And  city  —  itself  a  realm  —  of  Nin-Evech, 
And  the  dasmoniac  fires  of  the  Chaldees, 
Came  forth  the  father  of  the  faithful  flock,) 
Pretentious,  proud,  prohibiting  brotherhood. 

For  ages  this  continued ;  till,  at  last, 

In  the  divine  accomplishment  of  times, 

The  mind  of  man  (racked  with  immortal  grief), 

To  which  in  vain  philosophy  had  lent 

Her  balm  Lethaean,  and  the  ignorant  hordes, 

Slaves  to  obscurest  idols  or  impure, 

Buddhists  or  heathen  of  all  faiths  uncouth, 

Which  cloud  earth's  fairer  half,  (from  Baltic  bay 

Tideless,  and  golden  gap,  where  Frank  or  Lapp 

With  Meshech's  mighty  seed  justly  contend, 

Athwart  to  hills  of  heaven,  and  southmost  shores 

Unbroken,  of  peninsular  Malay, 

Siam,  Borneo,  and  the  scattered  flock 

Of  islets  trending  towards  the  Austral  pole,) 

Sought  refuge  in  barbaric  apathy :  — 

Men  cried  aloud  to  God. 

God  pitied  man : 

And  in  sublime  compassion  gazed  below. 
The  eyes  of  the  ^Eternal,  and  thine,  Christ ! 


A   SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  121 

First,  highest  of  all  ^Eons,  the  Divine 
Intelligence,  met,  midmost  in  the  heavens ; 
And  mercy  to  the  semi-angel  man 
Flowed  from  the  vision. 

Men  in  secret  prayed. 
Not  all  that  Indian  sages  could  educe 
From  their  Vedamic  founts  of  knowledge  rare, 
Fourfold,  as  in  the  garden  of  delight ; 
Nor  Konfutse,  nor  Gaudma,  souls  austere, 
From  Buddhist  scrolls,  nor  Tao,  son  of  truth ; 
Nor  they  who  Zaradean  rites  ensued, 
As  after  fall  and  flood  comes  final  fire ; 
Nor  they  who  in  the  city  of  the  sun 
The  fateful  words  of  Trismegist  revered ; 
Nor  they  who,  smit  with  curious  care,  would  note, 
Plucking  the  foliage  of  that  fatal  flower, 
The  oracles  Sibylline,  willed  of  God ; 
Whether  Tiresias'  daughter,  Theban  maid, 
Or  Delphic  Daphne,  or  the  sun-inspired, 
By  divine  counsel  voiced  the  heavenly  verse ; 
As  some  in  after  days  Virgilian  leaves, 
Homeric  tome,  or  scripture  sacrosanct ; 
Nor  who  from  Delian  shrine,  or  Klarian  fane, 
Rede  sought  of  holiest  ambiguity, 
Self-guarded,  two-edged,  waving  either  way ; 


122  A   SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Nor  the  wise  seven  of  Greece ;  nor  Thracian  seer, 

Skilled  in  all  lore  ccelestial  and  arcane, 

Who  pierced  the  Hadean  shades,  and  his  bright  bride, 

Though  serpent-stung,  death  seized,  had  half  redeemed ; 

(Alas !  not  half;  man's  whole  redemption  lay 

Sole,  and  to  be,  still  in  the  breast  of  God ;) 

Nor  he  the  white-stoled  wanderer  of  far  lands, 

Who  first  the  name  of  wisdom's  lover  claimed ; 

Nor  he,  of  Hyperborean  fame,  who  round 

The  world  on  golden  arrow,  white  winged,  sped ; 

Nor  grove-priest,  opening  (from  the  ship  of  earth, 

Or  manual  mound,  the  judgment  seat  of  kings, 

Of  twice  ten  roods  of  land  the  base  immense) 

The  sacred  secrets  of  the  earth  and  skies ; 

From  magic  or  from  mystic  orgies,  none 

Could  whisper  to  the  world  one  saving  spell 

That  might  the  house  of  death  illume ;  or  raise 

Even  in  life  the  soul  to  hope  and  peace, 

Or  look  for  ultimate  union  with  the  light. 

Nor  priest,  nor  bard,  nor  mage  from  secret  source 
Or  patent,  Ogham,  nor  the  ghostlier  runes  ; 
Nor  rolls  of  birchen  bark  with  mighty  lay 
Of  divination,  graven  in  branched  signs, 
Ere  dim  tradition ;  nor  from  tablets  rich 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  123 

With  Auscan  god-lore  and  augurial  rites 

Of  volant  fowl ;  from  cane  nor  palm  leaf  drenched 

With  sacred  scents,  in  gilded  Pali  penned ; 

Sungskrit,  or  arrowy  Zend  wherein  the  sun's 

Vicarious  rites  were  taught ;  nor  Arian,  tongue 

Of  Asian  eld  trilingual ;  nor,  unnamed, 

The  foreworld's  infant  speech,  haply  entombed, 

With  archives  of  the  earth's  initial  throne, 

Below  black  Babel's  thunder-thwarted  pile ; 

Nor  Arach,  arkite  city  of  the  moon, 

Whose  golden  crowned  ghosts  shall  ah1  precede, 

Kingly,  at  doom,  though  Persargadaa's  graves, 

Roman  and  Russ,  or  Norman's  vaulted  tomb 

Yield  up  their  dominant  shadows  to  the  light ; 

Nor  where  in  alabastrine  halls,  approached 

Through  forms  cherubic,  of  omnipresent  wing, 

As  in  Kouyunjik  once,  or  in  Khorsabad, 

On  sculptured  walls,  behold  the  king,  with  wine 

Divining  in  the  presence  of  his  gods, 

Mingles  his  arrows  and  accepts  his  fate ; 

Tamul,  nor  Devanagari,  writs  divine ; 

Nor  Himyaritic  wisdom,  (pointed  to 

Of  old  by  patriarch  Ayoob ;  type  of  man, 

His  seed  entire,  death  slain,  regenerate  rise,) 

Rock-scored,  whose  shadows  frown  o'er  Sheba's  sands ; 


124  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Nor  the  symbolic  meaning  wrapped  in  stones 

Snake-headed,  volumed  over  leagues  of  down ; 

Nor  earliest  earth-mound,  reared  before  all  walls 

By  stalwarth  savages,  in  arts  of  life 

Less   skilled   than   feats   of  death;    and  who,   where 

now, 

Far  east  and  west,  resurgent  cities  stand, 
Hounded  the  hills ;  some  vast  and  simple  faith 
Rudely  divine,  more  than  our  chiselled  creeds, 
Embracing,  as  though  fallen  ripe  from  heaven ; 
Nor  rifled  secrets  of  palatial  tombs 
Hearted  in  Lydian  barrows  ;  nor  could  those 
Sepulchral  hills  sodden  with  blood  of  steed, 
Henchman,  or  immolated  slave  (far  round 
Earth  heaves  with  tornblets,  as  the  sea  with  waves) 
'Mid  wilds  Kathaian ;  unprofaned  as  yet 
By  art  or  avarice ;  nor  those  mightier  mounds 
Whereon  two  days,  from  sunrise  to  sundown, 
The  warrior  shepherd  shah1  both  herd  and  flock, 
Content,  depasture ;  underfoot,  the  Khan, 
(God's  shadow ;  brother,  maybe,  of  the  moon ; 
Sole  refuge  of  a  wretched  universe,) 
Sceptred,  and  swathed  within  his  thin  gold  shroud, 
Sleeps,  doubtless,  sound ;  though  o'er  that  sacred  head 
Shrill  sings  the  boor ;  he,  striding  round  the  base, 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  125 

In  meditative  measurement,  and  round, 

Twirls  his  long  lance,  contemptuous  of  the  time; 

Nor  astral  oracles  the  wise  might  find 

On  the  sun's  house,  or  mansion  of  the  moon, 

Inscribed  in  letters  of  serenest  light ; 

From  none  of  these  dead  signs  came  life,  came  hope, 

To  man's  expectant  spirit,  nor  relief; 

The  spectral  mysteries  of  the  aeternal  life 

Were  not  to  be  explored  nor  excavate. 

Nor  Rabbin  versed  in  Kabalistic  lore, 

In  potent  ciphers  and  in  names  of  might, 

Aheieh,  Matzpatz,  CEmeth,  On,  Elhai, 

Aishi,  and  Baali,  Netzah,  Agla,  Tzour ; 

Or  that  Avhich  faintly  heired  the  cloud  of  light, 

(Whence  God  of  old  by  gems  spake,  and  His  truth 

Responsive  gleamed  from  every  glance  of  fire,) 

The  echoing  daughter  of  the  spirit  voice ; 

In  spheral  talismans  and  starry  seals 

The  which  on  vital,  vegetal,  mental  worlds 

Do  stamp  their  influence  through  the  elements ; 

Nor  who,  in  Babylonian  gloss  profound, 

Taught  the  ^Edenic  mysteries  of  man 

And  maness ;  how  in  union  infinite, 

The  fair  aeterne,  the  loveliness  supreme, 


126  A   SPIRITUAL   LEGEND. 

The  heavenly  man,  the  tree  divine  of  life, 

Whose  branches,  spread  invisibly  through  space, 

Fruit  but  in  heavenly  paradise  ;  pure  cause 

Of  all  the  beauty  of  the  universe, 

And  all  the  vital  harmonies  wherewith 

The  light  investured  sun  is  resonant, 

Mates  with  the  queen  of  heaven,  the  spouse  of  light, 

Mistress  of  mysteries,  and  bride  of  life, 

The  golden  ark  of  faith,  the  gate  of  God, 

And  temple  of  the  king ;  how  in  this  world 

Man  is  the  representative  of  the  word, 

And  of  the  spirit  maiden  ;  in  the  word, 

How  woman  typeth  man,  man  God  ;  in  art 

Of  channel,  chariot,  fabric,  and  the  twain 

And  thrice  ten  ways  of  wisdom,  and  the  ports 

Fifty  of  all  intelligence ;  though  skilled 

To  excess,  who  taught  the  alphabet  of  life 

Angelical  and  sidereal  and  mundane, 

The  holy  outbranchings  of  divinity, 

And  virtues  of  the  tenfold  veils  of  God, 

Stretched  from  the  all  essential  infinite, 

To  animastic  orders  and  ourselves, 

Earth  being  last  of  spheres,  of  being,  man ; 

Not  such,  pride-blind,  could  recognize  the  true 

Divinity  to  come  in  lowliest  guise ; 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  127 

But  for  some  crowned  and  sword-girt  conqueror, 
Throne-born,  and  in  a  golden  cradle  rocked, 
Awaiting,  they  awaited ;  wait  they  may. 

The  angels  would  not,  and  man  could  not  save. 
Re-track  their  steps  the  angels  would  not ;  nor 
From  holiest  truths  eliminate  the  false, 
And  thus  with  God's,  man's  mind  re-harmonize ; 
But  as,  misplaced  of  purpose,  blent  their  rites 
That  so  from  mystery,  mystery  still  might  come, 
And  no  solution,  no  salvation,  self 
Sufficing,  stand  within  the  fane  of  day. 

Virtue  and  vice  were  preached  of  without  end ; 

But  as  in  theories  of  life  men  grew 

More  skilled  and  perfect,  so  in  practick  worse. 

That  vice  is  hateful,  virtue  heavenly,  all 

Or  most  confessed ;  but  knew  not  whence  nor  why, 

Nor  how  to  shun  the  one,  the  other  win. 

For  who  of  the  crelestial  life  could  tell 

As  ascertained,  attainable,  or  lovely, 

To  beings  of  nature  mixed  and  finite  powers  ; 

And  if  to  all,  or  learned  or  simple,  free  ? 

To  many,  or  to  few  ? 

Not  he  who  deemed 


128  A   SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Water  the  origin  of  things  mundane ; 

Not  he  who  fire ;  who  air ;  who  atoms  held  ; 

Nor  he  who  that  the  All,  agterne,  was  God ; 

Not  he  who  first  from  heaven  to  earth  deduced 

Philosophy  ;  and  then  from  earth  to  heaven 

Traced  the  soul's  path  by  immortality  ; 

And,  like  a  god  disguised,  died  as  he  lived ; 

Nor  he,  the  sometime  slave,  surnamed  divine, 

Rich  in  ^Egyptian  wisdom  and  all  lore 

Hellenic,  who  in  Academus  taught 

The  teacher  of  earth's  conqueror,  and  the  hearts 

Of  tyrant  kings  softened  by  gratitude ; 

Nor  they  who  in  the  Porch  oft  dreamed  aloud 

Their  passionless  figment  of  humanity ; 

Nor  he  who  in  the  Garden  vainly  taught 

Pure  pleasure  as  man's  truest  mark  and  end ; 

Whose  words  the  very  hearts  corrupted  they 

Aimed  but  to  purify ;  not  he  who  all  things  scorned ; 

Not  he  who  doubted  all ;  not  even  they, 

Manly  and  moderate,  honest  friends  of  truth, 

Who  all  the  tenable  points  of  others  chose 

And  in  one  system  starred. 

Nor  better  fared 

The  dubious  mind,  intent  elsewhere  on  truth, 
With  the  self-righteous  formalist  who  prized 


A.    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  129 

The  law  minutest,  if  Mosaic,  more 

Than  justice  or  divinest  charities ; 

Or  those,  who  utter  nothing  after  death 

Argued,  against  the  instinct  of  mankind ; 

And  so  besotted,  tyrannously  denied 

The  being  of  all  angels,  theirs  except, 

Michael,  Gabriel,  Raphael,  and  all  else ; 

Or  such  as  in  ascetic  penance  pined 

'Mid  rocks,  wilds,  caves,  their  useless  lives  away. 

Law  seemed  not  that  man  needed ;  from  the  birth 

Historic  of  all  empires  to  that  hour, 

Menes  and  Minos,  Numa  and  Manou  ; 

And  wise  Zamolxis,  legislative  slave, 

Who  after  three  years  death  his  life  redeemed ; 

Sub-slaving  to  achieve  his  country's  weal ; 

Zaleucus  and  Lycurgus  and  Solon, 

The  lights  of  ages,  and  Rome's  tables  twelve, 

Had  done  what  in  them  lay,  of  human  force, 

To  better  negatively  man's  defaults, 

And  social  sins  and  civic  crimes  decrease  ; 

Injustice  all  forbidding ;  but  one  mean, 

Whereby  reunion  with  Divinity 

(Which  failing,  law,  philosophy,  and  faith 

Echoes  of  echoes  were  and  shades  of  shades) 


130  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Might  be  accomplished,  seemed  unknown,  unhoped. 

To  some  in  every  land,  of  soul  reborn, 

The  gifts  of  wisdom,  light  and  peace  pertained ; 

But  who  should  teach  the  multitudinous  mass ; 

What  truths  unfold,  and  what  more  fine  reserve ; 

The  wisest  men  were  doubtful ;  and  believed 

The  ultimate  indifference  of  all  deeds, 

All  thoughts,  all  motives,  all  intents ;  the  best 

Were  erring  guides  ;  the  worst  were  all  but  all. 

The  world  was  one  asnigma ;  life  appeared 

A  bridge  of  groans  across  a  stream  of  tears. 

Again  the  giant  world-sphinx,  winged  with  air, 
Sun-faced,  star-maned,  tailed  with  the  rolling  sea, 
And  breasted  as  beseems  the  dam  of  all 
Who  nourisheth  men  and  beasts,  her  riddle  reads  ; 
And,  this  time,  she  the  knot  divine  propounds, 
(For  sage  and  priest  confess  them,  both,  estranged,) 
Of  how  may  God  with  man  be  reconciled  ? 
Who  solves  earns  well  the  purple ;  and  thenceforth 
With  ominous  and  curseworthy  glory  wears 
His  gold-spiked  crown.     But  ah !  his  end  is  woe. 
He,  to  his  fate  divine,  uneyes  himself  in  vain  ; 
His  tomb  is  in  time's  chasm ;  and  the  long 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  131 

Oracular  thunders  further  quest  forefend. 

In  every  generation  of  his  kind, 

Hero,  or  priest,  or  bard,  or  sage,  or  king, 

There  lives  but  one  can  solve.     Now  all  were  dumb. 

But  now  that  Messianic  times  drew  nigh, 

In  sweet  fulfilment  of  coelestial  love, 

Paternal,  son-like,  spiritual,  typed 

In  rites  Saturnian,  golden-tided  years  ; 

God  the  most  High,  compassionating  the  state 

Of  wretched  mortals,  thus  with  reason  blessed, 

But  with  material  nature  cursed,  devoid 

Of  guide  infallible,  or  standard  pure, 

And  ground  beneath  the  crashing  rivalries 

Of  disobedient  angels,  sent  from  heaven 

His  Christ,  our  Saviour ;  that  He,  being  born 

In  union  consubstantive  with  the  man 

Jesus,  true  knowledge  of  the  Lord  of  Gods, 

And  faith  in  Him  alone,  He  might  retrieve 

To  earth's  bewildered  nations  ;  and  the  reign 

O'erthrow  of  angel  kings  who  thralled  the  world 

With  their  most  fatal  misrule ;  and  in  front, 

The  haughty  and  presumptuous  spirit  which  claimed 

Allegiance  from  the  patriarch's  house,  who  led 

By  him,  from  Goshen,  in  C'naan  abode. 


132  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Allied  to  our  mortality  came  Christ, 

Therefore  in  godly  wise,  and  humbly  great ; 

Foretold  by  stars ;  typed  by  the  winged  sun  ; 

His  life  one  long  perpetual  miracle 

Upon  the  sun-clad  earth ;  from  lip  and  hand 

Eradiating  blessings  like  the  sun. 

His  words  were  as  a  well,  profoundly  clear, 

And  deeplier  drawn,  the  purer,  more  of  life. 

Mankind  with  inexpressive  gladness  marked 

His  daily  walk ;  touched  his  health-issuing  robe, 

And  lived  renewed  ;  the  changing  dead  his  grave 

Quitted  at  one  appeal ;  sinners,  their  sin 

Owned,  were  forgiven ;  believed,  and  were  in  heaven. 

Dreading  the  whole  defection  of  his  state, 

The  angel  of  the  Hebrews,  (chosen  race 

As  they  o'erweeningly  misdeemed,  so  taught 

By  their  intolerant  warden,)  moved  with  wrath, 

And  now  inspiring  malice  in  the  hearts 

Of  thousands,  his  fanatic  devotees, 

Bade  treachery  seize  and  slay  the  marvellous  man. 

Thousands  revered  and  loved  him  ;  one  betrayed. 
(Treason  most  high,  most  base,  most  monstrous  this, 
To  mar  the  majesty  divine  of  Heaven  ! ) 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  133 

Burning  with  envy  and  all  ill  passions,  born 

Of  man's  original  corruption,  fixed 

In  fatal  flesh,  they  bound,  mocked,  scourged,  and  slew 

Jesus,  the  glory  of  earth ;  in  that  dread  deed 

Of  human  hate,  fulfilling  love  divine ; 

But  Christ,  first  -ZEon,  the  Intelligence, 

Impassible,  immortal,  'scaped  their  toils 

(A  fiery  struggle,  fatal  to  the  foe) 

By  virtue  of  Divinity,  and  rose 

Into  the  highest  heavens,  where  now  He  sits, 

The  head  of  all  existence,  light  of  God. 

For  God  deposed  the  angels ;  and  consigned 
To  purifying  penitence  ;  their  seals 
Of  sovereignty  He  all  annulled,  and  they, 
Bidden  into  black  obli vion,  cast ;  as  since, 
In  mountain  tarn  volcanic,  throne  and  crown, 
Sceptre,  and  all  regalia,  golden  gauds, 
The  imperial  pagan  of  the  west  implunged ; 
In  time  to  come,  some  needy  fisherman, 
At  close  of  day,  with  his  last  throw  perchance, 
Shall  joyful  net  a  mass  —  may  burnish  yet  — 
Weed-webbed  and  foul,  a  despot's  diadem  ; 
But  He  who  did  the  angels,  calm,  discrown, 
Alone  can  give,  again,  their  primal  power. 


134  A    SPIRITUAL   LEGEND. 

But  lie  and  his,  who  held,  that  in  that  hour 

Of  death  (hopeful  and  holy  now)  thou,  Lord  ! 

Thy  bodily  semblance  graftedst  on  the  frame 

And  face  of  other,  to  thy  cross  subject ; 

Oh !  he  who  thus  conceived  thee,  knew  thee  not. 

Thy  human  severing  from  thy  state  divine, 

Son  of  the  living  God ;  sole  son ;  and  sire 

Of  the  aeternity  to  come,  thou  first 

And  meekest  of  all  martyrs,  Christ ;  the  crown 

Of  saints,  the  joy  of  angels  ;  of  all  life 

The  glory  and  the  blessing,  fount  and  end ; 

Whose  blessed  blood  hath  whitened  all  the  world, 

And  clarified  creation,  conquered  death. 

Thus,  saith  the  spiritual  legendist, 
They  who  in  Him  believe  and  do  His  will. 
Well  willing  and  well  doing  to  all  men, 
Shall  after  death  ascend  to  Him,  and  see 
(Leaving  their  bodies  in  the  pestilent  mass 
Of  matter,  whence  originally  they  came) 
His  Father's  face  ;  the  God  o'er  all  supreme. 
But,  on  expiry,  the  rebellious  soul 
Shall  other  bodies  enter,  time  by  time, 
Till  it  confess  the  truth  and  trust  in  Christ. 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  135 

All  things  are  intermediate ;  God  (His  name 

For  aye  be  praised  and  magnified)  alone 

Is  first  and  last ;  creation  circling  midst. 

The  pre-existent  life  of  spirit-spheres 

Is  that  of  preparation  ;  on  the  earth, 

Probation ;  after  death,  purgation ;  all 

Begins,  all  ends,  all  mediates  sole  in  God. 

This  purgatory  everlasting  is  ; 

The  fires  asternal,  not  the  punishment ; 

Age-lasting  and  life-lasting  such  alone ; 

For  so  long  as  a  man  hath  lived  in  sin, 

So  long  the  spirit  suffers  for  the  sense  ; 

So  long  for  worst  offence  he  may  be  pained  ; 

So  long  his  inward  shadow  fined  with  fire ; 

So  long  remorse,  as  with  a  burning  wrasp 

In  poison  steeped,  shall  bite  his  quivering  heart, 

Till,  blanched  and  purified,  sin's  pantherine  spots 

Vanish  in  whiteness  as  the  wool  of  lambs. 

The  virtues  and  all  holiest  sympathies, 

Preponderating  upwards,  meet  in  Heaven  ; 

And  in  God's  bosom  centre.     And  thus  love, 

The  heart's  deep  gulf-stream,  that,  with  warmer  wave 

Sun-gilded,  soothes  the  abysses  of  our  life, 

And  tempers,  with  its  mild  divinity, 


136  A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

The  universal  breath  all,  partly,  breathe ; 
Hasting  to  compass  its  coelestial  end, 
With  a  serene  progression,  makes  us  feel 
In  loving  God  the  soul  reseeks  its  source ; 
Being  to  being  answering,  name  to  name. 
And  every  evil  passion  which  man's  soul, 
With  flesh  engendering,  fostered  while  in  life, 
Becomes,  in  death,  a  living  fiend ;  to  scourge 
With  patricidal  and  Briarean  hand, 
Its  guilty  parent,  shrinking,  shrieking,  lost :  — 
But  vanquished,  grows  an  angel,  bleached  by  fire, 
Attracting  to  salvation  in  the  heavens. 

Now,  all  the  ills  men  bear  are  caused  by  sins, 
Their  woes  are  penalties  imposed  by  God 
(All  hallowed  be  His  name  and  aye  extolled)  ; 
And  each  man  suffereth,  on  his  own  behalf, 
What  proves  God's  righteous  judgment  for  offence. 

O,  vainly,  vainly  from  the  contrite  soul, 
Stabbed  with  the  golden  dagger  of  remorse 
For  sin,  pours  forth  the  penitential  prayer ; 
Death  were  too  cheap  a  pain  ;  man's  life  a  fine 
Too  trivial  to  appease  God's  proud  revenge, 
But  for  thine  infinite  atonement,  Christ ! 


A    SPIRITUAL    LEGEND.  137 

And  it  comports  with  reason  ;  the  less  ill 
Men  do,  less  will  they  suffer ;  the  more  good 
Men  do  to  men  on  earth,  the  more  will  God 
Do  unto  them  in  heaven ;  for  He  repays 
Always  an  hundred,  ofttimes,  thousand  fold. 

Wherefore  should  all  men  purge  the  soul  of  sin, 

The  conscience  of  all  criminal  desire  ; 

Concupiscence,  ire,  envy,  hatred,  sloth ; 

The  mind  of  all  perturbing  passion  ;  heart 

Of  all  propensity  which  will  not  bear 

Heaven's  fullest,  holiest  light ;  whereof  by  Christ, 

Immortal  mediator  of  the  world, 

Man  may  become  the  blessed  recipient ; 

And  heaven  be  full  of  souls,  as  air  of  motes 

Prismatic,  the  vivacious  seed  of  worlds. 

So  with  the  godlike  angels  too,  at  last ; 

Atoning,  by  obedience  unto  God, 

(0  doubly  blessed  and  trebly  worshipped  name, 

Of  all  in  heaven,  or  earth,  or  under  earth !) 

For  selfish  rule,  inexpiable  else, 

And  penitent  exile  from  affairs  mundane, 

They,  their  asbestine  expurgation  passed, 

Exalted  by  progression  infinite, 


138  A   SPIRITUAL    LEGEND. 

Through  conduct,  aspiration,  and  intent 

Thrice  recreate,  shall  rise  ;  and  round  God's  throne, 

Where,  o'er  the  infinite  and  immaculate  skies, 

The  rainbow  bends  its  everlasting  beams, 

Not  drops  of  water,  but  translucent  stars 

Existent  solely  in  the  Eternal  ray, 

Wherein  the  spirits,  glorified,  of  time 

Cosequal  with  the  universe  abide  ; 

Shall  they,  bright  guardians,  stand ;  like  dear  to  God 

Both  man  and  angel  kind. 

And  when,  i'  th'  end, 

Unnumbered  times,  duration  unbethought, 
Have  passed,  shall  God  (His  name  be  ever  blest 
And  sanctified)  another  world  causate ; 
The  powers  of  all  spirits  shall  aggrandize  ; 
Make  them  wise,  happy,  humble,  good,  content ; 
In  every  thought,  design,  desire,  shall  reign, 
And  glorify  Himself  unboundedly ; 
Into  their  hands  all  mortal  destinies  give, 
And  bid  them  rule  and  bless  wherever  stretch  His  skies. 

Thus  he,  the  legend  spiritual  who  feigned. 


A    FAIRY    TALE 


A  FAIRY  TALE. 


ONCE  in  days  of  yore  a  little  Princess,  who  had  sum 
mers  seen 

Scarcely  seven,  and  was  christened  by  the  holy  name 
Christine, 

Found  herself,  at  eve,  disporting  in  a  fairy  ring  of  green. 

She  had  left  the  kingly  castle  ;  left  her  sire's  and  moth 
er's  side, 

Left  the  banquet,  where  her  brother  feasted  with  his 
royal  bride ; 

And  had  rambled  to  the  forest  valley,  'neath  the  sum 
mer  moon, 

"Where  she  crossed  the  charmed  circle,  aught  thereof 
unknowing.  Soon, 

Overwearied  there  she  rested,  wishing  what  might  come 
to  pass, 


142  A   FAIRY    TALE. 

When  by  chance  her  hand  alighted  on  a  tuft  of  clover- 
grass. 

This  she  grasped,  a  tiny  handful :  —  ah !  Saint  Mary ! 

what  she  saw !  — 
Mounted  on  their  milk-white  palfreys,  issuing  from  the 

shady  shawe, 
Came   the   Fairies,  caracolling  gayly  as   they  passed 

along ; 
Then,  dismounting,  closed  around  her  in  a  bright  and 

joyous  throng ; 
Ladylings  and  lordlings  dancing,  piping,  harping,  full  of 

song. 

Clad  in  robes  of  silken  silver,  golden  gossamer  a  few, 
Decked  with  jewels  bright  as  starlets,  bright  as  berries, 

bright  as  dew ; 
Some  in  kirtle,  scarf,  and  doublet,  all  of  verdant  forest 

hue. 

Lovers  there  she  saw,  arm-twining,  in  the  wild  wood's 

shadowy  slade ; 
There,  some  woful  knight  was  kneeling  at  the  feet  of 

haughty  maid ; 
Here  was  feasting,  there  was  music ;  many  a  cunning 

prank  was  played. 


A   FAIRY   TALE.  143 

Suddenly,  the  stateliest  of  them,  he  that  most  a  monarch 

seemed, 
(Cap  of  crimson  his,  and  mantle  like  an  emerald  that 

beamed,) 

When  he  spied  the  gentle  maiden,  smiling  on  the  merry 

scene ; 
Ho !  my  lords  and  ladies !  cried  he,  wist  ye  who  with 

us  hath  been  ? 
Lo !  a  mortal   stands   among  us ;  fairer  than  a  fairy 

she; 
Let  us  speak  with  her  a  moment ;  questioning  belongs 

to  me. 

Straight  the  jocund  throng  desisted  from  their  pastime 

and  their  play ; 
While  the  king  of  all  the  fairies  to  the  childling  thus 

'gan  say: — 

Lovely  mortal !  wilt  thou,  wilt  thou  quit  with  us  thy 

childhood's  bowers, 
And  in  our  enchanted  Eden  wander  through  a  world  of 

flowers  ? 
All  delights  that  thou  hast  dreamed  of,  gathered  there 

shall  be,  and  thine  ; 
Flowers  that  fade  not,  games  that  end  not ;  skies  that 

alway  mildliest  shine ; 


144  A   FAIRY   TALE. 

Kneaded  cates  of  amber  honey,  and  the  rosebud's  dewy 

wine : 
Wreaths  of  jewels,  combs  of  silver,  beads  and  bracelets 

all  of  gold, 
And  a  diamond  girdle  round  thee;  mine  I  give  thee 

now,  behold ! 
Bowls  of  rubies  thou  shalt  sip  from,  and  from  crystal 

tables  dine ; 

And,  at  eve,  on  lily  leaves,  and  mingled  violets  recline ; 
Wilt  thou  with  me,  sweet  one,  tell  me !    King,  she  an 
swered,  I  am  thine. 
All  the  fairy  court  with  rapture  danced  when  thus  they 

heard  her  say ; 
Noble  chieftain,  child  of  beauty,  let  us  haste,  they  cried, 

away! 

Seal  the  covenant  first,  quoth  Oberon ;  and  a  magic  cup 

of  wine 
Straight  was  brought  him,  when  the  king  bethought  him 

of  the  charm  divine, 
Which  the  eyes  of  Life  had  opened,  to  perceive  their 

secret  line. 
Deep  within  the  rosy  goblet   he  the   fourfold   leaflet 

dipped, 
Drank  thereof,  and  to  the  damsel  gave  it ;  daintily  she 

sipped. 


A   FAIRY   TALE.  145 

Then  to  horse;  the  gallant  knighthood  lift  their  ladies 

to  the  sells ; 
Every  steed  was  shod  with  silver,  every  bridle  hung 

with  bells, 

Like  the  lilies  of  the  valley,  only  all  of  silver.  Swells 
Soft  the  moonlit  air  with  strains  aforetime  never  heard ; 
More  sweet  than  tone  of  nymph  or  muse,  or  god,  to  both 

preferred. 

So  they  ambled  on  until  they  reached  a  green  and 

grove-crowned  hill. 
Which,  without  a  gate,  they  entered,  opening  at  the 

monarch's  will : 
Then  the  portals  closed  upon  her ;  woe  is  me  for  that 

dear  child, 
'Mid  the  insubstantial  regions  of  the  fairies  thus  beguiled. 

Streams  of  bubbling  gold  flowed  round  her ;  fountains 

flung  their  diamond  spray ; 
O'er  the  fields  a  pearl-dew  glistened ;  polished  loadstone 

paved  the  way ; 
Trees  were  leafed  with  golden  florins;  daisies  chimed 

like  silver  crowns ; 
Musical  and  odorous  breezes  breathed  across  the  velvet 

downs. 

10 


146  A  FAIRY   TALE. 

Soon  they  neared  the  regal  palace  twinkling  in  the 
aery  dyes, 

Lilac,  pearl,  and  beryl  blended,  of  that  country's  sunless 
skies ; 

While  the  fay-queen  and  her  ladies,  with  their  flower- 
robed  damsels  fair, 

Came  forthright  to  greet  her  crowned  spouse,  and  royal 
guestling  there. 

From  the  centre  of  the  high  dome  swung  a  topaz  solar 
bright, 

Which  through  all  the  palace  darted  gleams  of  glad  and 
glorious  light ; 

Emerald  lamplets  ranked  around  it,  tempered  this  with 
cooler  ray ; 

While,  without,  the  welkin  poured  one  pale  and  ever- 
dawning  day. 

There  the  feast  was  flowing  ever;  stream-like  music 
ceaseless  played ; 

There  the  dance  was  alway  weaving ;  minstrels  chant 
ing  in  the  shade ; 

There  for  aye  the  chase  was  bounding  over  dale  and 
hill  and  plain, 

And  fair  Christine  on  hound-high  steed  the  foremost  of 
the  elfin  train. 


A   FAIRY   TALE.  147 

Still  she  saddened  when  she  minded  of  the  simple  gar 
lands  she 

Wove  of  wild  rose  and  of  woodbine,  with  her  playmates 
on  the  lea ; 

And  the  hazel  and  brown  beech  nut  which  they  gath 
ered  from  the  tree. 

What  though  clad  in  jewelled  raiment,  trilling,  tripping, 
day  and  night, 

What  though  plyed  with  queenly  dainties,  what  though 
culling  gold-blooms  bright, 

Never  in  the  feast  delicious,  nor  the  dance's  wildering 
whirl, 

Nor  the  wine-cup's  merry  orbit,  could  forget  that  lonely 
girl 

The  ancient  hall  where  dwelled  her  sire,  and  where,  too, 
from  her  mother's  side, 

She  one  summer's  eve  had  stolen  forth  into  the  forest 
wide. 

Drink  the  dew,  the  fairy  Fate  said,  that  the  poppy  lends 
repose, 

Mingled  with  the  fragrant  nectar  chaliced  in  the  gold 
en  rose. 

Then  she  drank  the  draught  Lethean  from  the  bowl 
with  flowerets  crowned, 


148  A    FAIRY    TALE. 

Flamy  flowers,  that  all  remembrance  of  her  past  exist 
ence  drowned ; 

Thus,  with  lustres  vainly  lapsing,  to  perpetual  childhood 
bound 

Never  moon  there  marked  the  season ;  sun  ne'er  shad 
owed  forth  the  time ; 

Years  themselves  were  undistinguished  in  that  soft  and 
listless  clime. 

Now  where  mines  of  gold  and  silver  branch,  in  many  a 

gleamy  vein ; 

Through  the  bosom  of  the  mountain,  'neath  the  many- 
leagued  plain ; 

Where  jasper  and  cornelian  clear  and  alabaster  pure, 
And  purple  spars  and  glass-bright  rocks  the  glittering 

caves  immure, 
She  roamed ;  and  all  the  virtues  learned  of  every  potent 

gem 

Or  mystic  or  medicinal ;  all  gifts  that  unto  them 
Pertained,  of  causing  love,  or  hate,  or  infinite  delight, 
Imperial  wealth,  tyrannic  state,  long  life,  and  beauty 

bright ; 
These  into  an  armlet  stringing,  ruby,  sapphire,  emerald, 

pearl, 

Threaded  on  the  sunny  tendril  of  one  desultory  curl, 
As  an  amulet  Titania  gave  to  her,  the  spell-bound  girl. 


A   FAIRY    TALE.  149 

Through  the  dwarf  king's  wondrous  regions  she  with 

him  delighted  strayed ; 

Rings  and  charms  and  magic  weapons  he  for  her,  love- 
smitten,  made. 
Blithely  oft  beneath  the  seas  she  roved  with  mermaids 

from  their  caves, 
Arched  with  amber,  pearl  and  ivory  roofs,  whose  floors 

bright  coral  paves ; 
And  oft,  too,  when  the  fairy  court,  for  pleasure,  or  for 

pride, 
Would  seek  the  cooling  streams  that  lave  earth's  plains 

and  meadows  wide, 
The  water  spirits  in  their  arms  the  darling  maid  would 

fold, 
And  hidden  things  of  years  to  come  mysteriously  they 

told; 
There  she  viewed  in  crystal   vases   souls   of  hapless 

wretches  drowned, 
Which  from  their  pellucid  prisons  she  with  holy  zeal 

unbound ; 
Upward  sprang  the  sprites,  with  joyful  some,  and  some 

with  mournful  sound. 
With  the  sylphs  in  air  she  sported;  with  the  golden- 

palaced  gnome, 

Earth  imbosomed ;  or  the  light-elves  in  their  rainbow- 
clouded  home. 


150  A   FAIRY   TALE. 

Oft  times  with  the  Elle-King  rode  she,  in  his  chariot, 
o'er  the  main, 

"While  his  martial  band,  with  sea-conchs,  blew  the  war- 
inspiring  strain ; 

Then  upon  the  headlands  landing,  counted  o'er  the  frosty 
meads, 

Royal  droves  of  great  blue  kine,  lipping  the  ice-dew  of 
weeds. 

'Gainst  the   fairies   of  the  fire   she  with  tidal  spirits 

waged 
War ;  and  earth,  and  air,  and  ocean  felt  how  fierce  the 

battle  raged. 

High  she  shook  her  shining  falchion,  pliant  as  the  rush- 
en  plant, 
Falchion  her  dwarf-lover  forged  her,  hard  and  bright  as 

adamant ; 
Fighting  by  the  Elle-King's  side,  there  she  the  lord  of 

fireland  slew ; 
All  the  hosts  of  fire  were  routed;  crowned  her  queen 

the  conquering  crew ; 
Back  to  fairyland  she  hasted ;  home  her  train  in  triumph 

drew. 

King  and  spouse  majestic  welcome  gave  her,  on  her 
glad  return; 

i 


A   FAIRY   TALE.  151 

And  a  thousand  tongues  besought  that  her  adventures 
they  might  learn. 

This  she  grants ;  and  lo !  a  banquet,  by  unheard  com 
mand,  is  seen, 

Instantaneously  furnished  on  the  flower-embroidered 
green. 

On  the  east  hand  of  her  liege  lord  sat  the  bright,  the 
brave  Christine; 

On  his  west,  divine  Titania,  night's  incomparable  queen ; 

Then  the  victress  told  Sir  Oberon  all  she  had  done,  and 
where  had  been ; 

How  from  end  to  end  of  faerie  she  had  passed,  below, 
above, 

Scathless,  by  the  spells  the  dwarf-king  gave  her  in  his 
days  of  love ; 

How  had  dealt  with  Nisses,  Noks,  and  Kobolds,  Kelpies, 
Norns,  and  Trolls ; 

How  with  Peris  fared,  and  Shadim,  Afrits,  Ogres,  Deevs, 
and  Ghouls ; 

She  had  travelled  in  the  whirlwind ;  for  no  harm  to  her 
might  fall, 

Who  had  talismans  and  virtues  could  enchant  or  van 
quish  all ;  — 

How  the  Elle-chief 's  broad  dominions  scarred  by  war, 
she,  sad,  beheld ; 


152  A   FAIRY   TALE. 

How  with  hosts  of  fire  they  fought,  and  how  the  first  of 

foes  she  quelled ; 
How,  she  said,  in  God  she  trusted ;  —  at  that  word  the 

banquet  ceased; 
Shrieked  and  vanished  all  the  faerie,  save  the  king  who 

bade  the  feast. 

Silent  sate  the  maid  and  monarch  many  a  moment,  till, 
quoth  he, 

Knowest  thou  not,  unhappy  child,  the  woe  tliou  hast 
wrought  in  faerie  ? 

KnoVst  thou  not  that  by  the  name  which  elfin  tongue 
hath  never  passed, 

Whenso  uttered,  we  are  scattered,  dust-like,  by  the  tem 
pest's  blast  ? 

Know'st  thou  not  that  we  be  spirits,  doomed  to  linger 
here,  unchanged, 

In  the  sunless  land  of  Faerie,  from  the  light  of  heaven 
estranged, 

Till,  with  promise  of  salvation,  we  be  blessed  by  holy 
priest, 

Or  some  sinless  mortal  give  us  hope  to  be  at  last  re 
leased  ? 

Till  the  universal  judgment  we,  the  viewless  sons  of 
Eve, 


A   FAIRY   TALE.  153 

Wander  in  the  hollow  under-world,  unable  to  believe, 
Till  we  hold  the  great  assurance,  for  the  lack  whereof 

we  grieve. 

Still  as  we  of  sin  were  guiltless,  save  the  sin  inherited 
From  our  mother's  first  trangression,  ere   the   floods 

abroad  were  spread, 
He,  the  great  Creator,  hid  us  in  the  bosom-shades  of 

earth, 
And  forbade  that  in  the  sunlight  ever  we  should  journey 

forth. 

Bounteous  is  He,  said  the  maiden,  of  illimitable  grace  ; 
Nor  would  He  have  hid  ye  here,  if  good  he  meant  not 
to  your  race. 

Ah,  alas !  then,  why  delayeth  He  his  merciful  com 
mand? 

Sighed  the  Fairy ;  sooner  blossom  shall  the  sceptre  in 
my  hand ; 

Saying,  —  in  the  mould  he  wildly  struck  his  white  and 
star-tipped  wand. 

Scarce  had  he  the  sad  word  uttered,  when  the  peeled 

and  polished  rod 
Bourgeoned  forth  in  buds  and  blossoms,  rooted  in  the 

mossy  sod ; 


154  A   FAIRY   TALE. 

Lo  !  a  miracle,  said  Christine  ;  trust  ye  henceforth,  too, 

in  God. 
Rest  ye  sure  his  mercy  broodeth  over  all  the  souls  He 

made. 

We  are  spirits,  groaned  the  Fairy,  greatly  of  our  end 

afraid ; 
Though  a  flickering  hope  inspires  us  with  belief  that  we 

shall  be 
Joined,  at  last,  with  Him  and  heaven,  in  his  boundless 

clemencie. 

Be  it,  said  she ;  knew  not  I,  nathless,  so  saintly  your 

desire ; 
And  if  mine  your  royal  sanction  to  reseek  my  loving 

sire, 
He  within  his  halls  sustains,  for  mercy's  sake,  a  godly 

frere, 

Who  to  pious  aspirations  ever  lends  a  piteous  ear ; 
And  will  grant  his  sacred  blessing  to  your  nation :  doubt 

it  ne'er ; 
He  will  bless  what'er  loves  me ;  for  I  to  him  was  alway 

dear. 

Speed  thee  earthwards,  said  the  sovran,  speed  thee, 
dearest  child  of  light. 


A   FAIRY  TALE.  155 

On  the  instant,  hosts  of  fairies  warbling  darted  into 

sight. 
Airs  delicious,  such  as  never  mortal  heard  from  human 

hands, 
Whispered  loud  from  golden  clarions,  harped  on  strings 

of  silver  strands, 
Strains  triumphant,  thrilled  and  echoed  through  those 

dim,  enchanted  lands. 
Speed  thee,  heart  of  love,  they  faltered,  speed  thee  on 

thy  star-taught  way ; 
Bring  to  Oberon  and  his  people  hope  of  heaven  and 

peace  for  aye. 

Ah,  farewell,  ye  good  and  loyal,  said  the  princess,  step 
ping  forth ; 

Ne'er  shall  I  forget  your  bounties,  never  see  surpassed 
your  worth ; 

If  not  pure  enough  for  heaven,  ye  are  far  too  pure  for 
earth. 

Towards  the  limits  far  of  Faerie  quick  their  anxious 

course  they  took, 
And  the  hill  she  entered  first  self-opened  like  a  magic 

book; 
Forth  she  peeped,  and,  backward  turning  to  bestow  one 

farewell  look, 


156  A   FAIRY   TALE. 

Nothing  saw  she,  nothing  heard  she,  save  a  low  and 

eerie  wail 
With  the  rustle   of  the  greenwood  blending  and  the 

sunset  gale. 

All  was  changed ;  and  she,  deep  sighing,  tottered  on  her 

lonesome  way, 

Till  she  neared  a  stunted  hamlet ;  children  at  their  twi 
light  play, 
As  she  stooped  to  raise  a  withering  rosebud,  by  the 

path  that  lay, 
Shyly  tittering ;  thus  she  spake  them ;  laugh  ye  at  my 

fresh  pulled  roses  ? 
We  laughed  to  see  an  old,  old  beldame  picking  up  our 

cast-off  posies, 
Said  they ;  but  she  understood  no  word  of  what  the 

bantlings  uttered ; 
And  again  they  mouthed  and  mocked  at  that  they  said 

the  old  crone  muttered. 

Soon  she  came  where,  blind  with  dotage,  propped  on 

staff,  an  old  man  stood  ; 
All  his  tresses  white  with  age  as  with  its  snows  a  wintry 

wood. 
Gaffer,  said  she,  where 's  the  castle,  that,  on  yonder 

mountain  piled, 


A   FAIRY   TALE.  157 

Held  the  prince  unpeered  in  honor?     Late  I  left  it, 

foolish  child ! 
Mused  a  moment,  recollecting ;  presently  the  old  man 

smiled. 

Second  childhood  then  I  fancy  must  at  least,  good  dame, 

be  thine ; 

I  alone  in  all  the  region  mind  me  of  that  lordly  line ; 
I  alone  some  words  remember  of  the  tongue  that  then 

was  spoke, 
By  the  noble  race  that  here  dwelt,  ere  they  felt  war's 

iron  yoke. 
King,  peer,  peasant,  all  were  conquered,  all  uprooted  at 

a  blow ; 
One  disastrous  battle  gave   the  country  to  a  foreign 

foe; 
Slain  or  banished  all;  but  that's  well-nigh  a  hundred 

years  ago. 

Yonder  castle's  crumbling  ruin   saw  its   lord,  though 

dauntless,  fall ; 
Dame  and  daughter  he  beheld  both  slain ;  in  vain  his 

vassals  all, 
In  vain  his  son  for  crown  and  bride  fought;  he  was 

left  an  idiot  thrall. 


158  A   FAIRY   TALE. 

On  the  evening  of  his  bridal,  souls  of  war,  those  sea- 
kings  came, 

And,  ere  midnight,  tower  and  town  were  all  engulfed 
in  gory  flame. 

Save  the  holy  chaplain,  none  of  all  that  princely  house 
remained, 

And  myself,  the  humblest  menial,  on  the  lands  where 
once  they  reigned. 

He,  in  rock-hewn  hermit's  cavern,  life,  with  passion 
undefiled, 

Wore  away,  in  trances  murmuring  blessings  on  some 
wandered  child, 

Daughter  of  his  lord,  't  was  counted,  by  the  cursed  in 
vading  host 

Killed ;  or  wiled  away  by  fairies ;  howsoe'er,  the  child 
was  lost. 

Twenty  winters  since  his  clay  from  mine  to  earth's  cold 
arms  was  given ; 

And  so  long  his  blessed  spirit  has  been  with  the  saints 
in  Heaven. 

Hold,  she  cried,  I  hear  a  weeping ;  I  no  longer  love  the 

light ; 
Back  she  started,  and  departed  straightways  through  the 

deepening  night. 


A   FAIRY   TALE.  159 

In  the  hill  she  heard  a  wailing  and  a  sobbing  sad  and 
deep; 

And  the  crash  of  thousand  harp-strings  hands  of  des 
peration  sweep; 

Then  she  laid  her  down,  and,  praying,  slept  the  long 
unmorrowing  sleep. 


THE    END. 


r 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


AN  INITIAL  FINE  OP  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


JUL  27  IMS 

JAN    2 


GENERAL  LIBRARY  -  U.C.  BE 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


